I was very excited to be sent the new flagship vintage of the Groote Post Seasalter 2018. 50% of the wine spent time in oak barrels and the other 50% on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. There is 10% Semillon added to this Sauvignon Blanc which is quite trendy at the moment – a “Bordeaux Style White” as they say.
Sauvignon Blanc has always been the standout varietal at Groote Post. Owned by the Pentz family and situated in the Darling Hills on the Cape West Coast there is no better name than Seasalter.
The Groote Post Seasalter 2018 is a beautifully composed complex wine with the Sauvignon’s zesty acidity and vibrancy perfectly balanced by the richer notes and fuller
Everything about the Seasalter reflects Groote Post’s West Coast terroir. The name was chosen to symbolise the unique minerality and saltiness of Groote Post’s white wines, the culmination of the interplay of slope, soil, climate and proximity to the icy Atlantic, and the wine’s refreshing packaging design shouts out West Coast.
The first vineyard plantings at Groote Post in 1993 were Sauvignon Blanc, the first wine made at Groote Post in 1999 was Sauvignon Blanc and the first wine to roll in the accolades for Groote Post was Sauvignon Blanc. Pioneer of Sauvignon Blanc in Darling, Neil Ellis was an inspiration, so too were the numerous viticulturists and winemakers who already had insight into the potential of Darling grapes. The Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc fruit, sometimes greener, sometimes more tropical, but always with the unmistakable Darling Hills character, makes its mark on numerous Groote Post wines, from The Old Man’s Blend White (50% component), to the Estate Sauvignon Blanc, to the Vineyard Selection Kapokberg Sauvignon Blanc (recently discontinued), and now the Seasalter, Groote Post’s flagship Sauvignon Blanc.
“The unique Darling Sauvignon Blanc fruit and its wonderful aging potential had to be the foundation for our flagship white wine, with a small component of Semillon. The Darling Hills are blessed with deep, high clay content soils, gracious southern slopes and cooling winds off the icy Atlantic only 6 km away… the terroir conditions perfect for world class white wine. It was time for our long-time winemaker Lukas Wentzel to bring all the ingredients into play in what would become our Seasalter,” says Groote Post co-owner Nick Pentz.
“We just needed to come up with the perfect name for our new wine, a special name to portray our unique terroir: the icy Atlantic, waves crashing on broken shells, invigorating salty sea mist, kelp and minerality. It was my wine travels to the UK that surprisingly provided the answer. I happened to visit a tiny medieval village in the Canterbury District of Kent, by the name of Seasalter, which had been a centre for salt production in the Iron Age. I just knew immediately that Seasalter was the ideal name for our new flagship Sauvignon as it superbly captured the essence of our wine in one word,” reflects Nick Pentz.
And the Seasalter’s distinctive design followed suit, thanks to the expertise of Anthony Lane Design Consultancy, providing a visual connection to the West Coast soul of the Seasalter: the pristine turquoise waters of the Atlantic, the simplicity of the wind-swept coastline, the weathered white-washed fishing villages, the seagulls calling from above.
A limited-release maiden 2015 Seasalter did make a brief appearance in 2017 but it was sold out before it could be released commercially. Enter the 2018 Seasalter …
GROOTE POST SEASALTER 2018
The Seasalter 2018 is an elegant blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon. 50% of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented and aged for 8 months in 300-litre French Oak barrels. The remaining components were fermented in stainless steel tanks and left on the fine lees.
The Seasalter is wonderfully expressive on the nose and the palate with captivating notes of citrus, stone fruit and green apple together with hints of fynbos and kelp, sea-breeze and a touch of oak. Rich, layered and long, this subtly powerful blend is intense but not weighty: an elegant well-balanced wine showing typical Darling minerality, vibrant acidity and some leesy complexity before a saline finish.
I could definitely pick up stone fruit like peaches on the nose with definite nuances of granny smith, green apples and lemon zest. On the palate it started out to be quite lemon-like but then I was like AH HA! It’s definitely grapefruit – I think it has to do with the mineral component and refined acidity kick at the end.
The Seasalter is an excellent food wine, best enjoyed with West Coast seafood of course.
Available from the Groote Post cellar door, online at https://groote-post-wines.myshopify.com and at select fine wine merchants. Approximate retail price: R140
A VISIT TO GROOTE POST
Only an hour’s drive from Cape Town, the historic Groote Post farm presents a rustic and rural atmosphere with undulating hills, vast open spaces and warm country hospitality. In addition to a wide range of award-winning wines, Hilda’s Kitchen’s superb culinary experience and Farm Drives through the private game camp and vineyards, Groote Post also offers picnics and monthly country markets in the summer; a child-friendly area with a jungle gym and rolling lawns; a superb wedding venue; beautiful views of the Atlantic coast and Table Mountain; nature walks; bird-watching in the hide on the dam and spectacular West Coast flowers in spring.
Groote Post Vineyards
Tel: 022 492 2825 · Email: wine@grootepost.co.za · Website: www.grootepost.co.za
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