Diemersdal Estate, the well-known Sauvignon Blanc producer in Durbanville which has been in the Louw family for six generations, has released a new rendition of its famed Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc, this being a wine that spent 18 months on its lees before bottling and which is only available in a magnum (1,5 litre) bottle.
The Diemersdal Eight Rows 2024 Magnum sees this icon wine from one of South Africa’s most renowned Sauvignon Blanc producers presenting a mature and nuanced complexity resulting from it spending a year longer in stainless tank on its lees than the standard Eight Rows. Since its maiden release in 2006, Diemersdal Eight Rows has gained a reputation for its delicate flavour profile, intriguing aromatic notes and its exuding an overall sense of great Sauvignon Blanc purity.
“I have always loved Sauvignon Blanc wines made where the winemaker has had a bit more time on his or her side, such as in Sancerre, France,” says owner-winemaker Thys Louw.
“The 2024 vintage gave Diemersdal an Eight Rows of distinct personality with the structure, aromas and flavour profiles all being in harmony. After bottling some of the wine for its usual release in its year of harvest, I decided to keep some of it back in the tank to see how it develops. And after 18 months, the result is a Sauvignon Blanc of true elegance and with a style of its own – still bearing the Eight Rows personality but being a slightly smarter wine. More subdued, but with an intriguing, charming character.”
The origins of the Eight Rows go back to 2005 when Thys Louw arrived as winemaker on the family farm after his studies as well as having completed internships at various other Cape estate’s. His father Tienie, however, initially restricted Thys’s ambitions by permitting him to only make wines from eight rows of one Sauvignon Blanc vineyard to see whether Thys was up to the task.
The rest is history: the wine proved to be of superb quality from the start, and today is still made by Thys from the same eight rows as that first vintage in which he had to prove himself. Although today Thys is fully in-charge of Diemersdal, responsible for wine-making, viticulture and managing the estate’s 200ha of vineyards.
The vines for the Eight Rows grow on decomposed granite and clay soils found on south-facing slopes where the effects of the nearby Atlantic Ocean are felt.
Like all vineyards on Diemersdal, the Eight Rows is made from dryland vineyard. “This was the first vineyard I worked with when I came to farm at Diemersdal in 2005,” says Louw, “and since then I have been convinced that for top-quality Sauvignon Blanc, dryland farming in cool climate conditions delivers South Africa’s best wine from this variety.”
The grapes were night harvested at 23.5°B, crushed and de-stemmed reductively. Skin contact of 24 hours was given where after the juice was pressed and settled for 36 hours. Fermentation took place over three weeks at temperature controlled to 12-14°C.
Post-fermentation, the Diemersdal Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Magnum was allowed 18 months lees contact, the wine being bottled unfiltered.
The wine shows a pronounced core of minerality, from the flinty elegance on the nose and the bright expression on the palate. A rounded mouth-feel exudes nectarine and Kiwi-fruit, balanced with fresh acidity on the finish.
“All-in-all a seamless wine where all the components are in balance – this being the most important word in the wine maker’s lexicon,” says Louw. “Each of our Sauvignon Blancs have a unique profile due to the site-specific selection of grapes growing on a diverse selection of terroir. The Eight Rows is especially known for the refined Sauvignon Blanc characters as well as the polished texture of the wine. There is weight and presence, with freshness and zest at the same time. Something only these eight rows of vines presents in this manner, making it a signature wine with a character of its own.”