Aaldering Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025 Devon Valley, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa 75cl

Aaldering is a Dutch-owned estate in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley, bought by Fons and Marianne Aaldering in 2004 and rebuilt into a boutique producer with a serious reputation for Pinotage and cool-climate whites. Winemaker Jaco Parson works with a light hand, keeping cellar additions to a minimum and letting the granite-soil fruit lead.

The Sauvignon Blanc comes off a small block planted in 2008 on decomposed granite, high on the estate at 110 to 160 metres. Fruit is picked across three stages of ripeness and each parcel is fermented separately, then given extended lees contact for texture. The aim is a fuller, more mineral style than the usual zippy South African norm.

The 2025 season followed a cold, wet winter with moderate spring growth, then several heatwaves through December and January that brought harvest forward by about a week. Strong winds at flowering trimmed yields but left smaller berries packed with flavour. Growers who timed picking carefully were rewarded with concentrated, well-balanced whites.

Expect a pale straw pour with a green tint. The nose mixes white asparagus, green pepper and delicate floral notes with a hint of passion fruit, all lifted by flinty minerality. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with grapefruit and more green pepper held in check by restrained acidity. Serve it at 10 to 12 degrees, and drink over the next few years.

This sits closer to a Loire or Pessac style than a tropical, grassy Sauvignon, with weight and stony length rather than sheer aroma. It has earned a spot on KLM and Asiana first and business class lists, a fair marker of its polish. Good for weekend lunches, seafood suppers and relaxed entertaining.