Thelema Sauvignon Blanc 2024

The grapes were gently de-stemmed, pumped through our mash cooler, (Glycol set at 5 °C) to cool the fruit down, then it received a dose of pectolytic enzymes as well as a small amount of SO2 to aid in the juice clarification process, prevent oxidation and spontaneous fermentations. Once the press was full the cycle is started, and the juice is moved to a holding tank. Clarification takes place via floatation in the late afternoon and the juice is moved to its fermentation tanks early the following morning. The wine was inoculated with a commercial yeast strain, the ferment runs at 14°C, to maintain a progressive yet stable fermentation curve. The wines were left on their gross lees for 6 months after which they were racked and a light fining was added to clean them up a bit for evaluation and then bottled.

Wet, cool climate conditions allowed replenishment of water reserves and slow ripening period. Despite the smaller yields, the harvest season produced outstanding quality berries resulting in great wines with respectable aging potential. The flavours and fruit concentration are particularly evident.

This wine can be enjoyed now or it can be aged for a further five to seven years to allow the palate to further develop.

Sauvignon Blanc

This wine can be enjoyed as an apertif or with delicately flavoured foods like salads, oysters, scallops and chicken.

Platter Wine Guide 2023 - 4 ½ stars / 93 points

Gyles Webb abandoned his accounting career in Durban to become a winemaker. In 1983, with the help of his wife’s family, the McLean’s, Gyles bought Thelema. The beginning of a family legacy. The manor house was restored and the first wines under the Thelema label were released in 1988. By the mid 90’s Thelema’s wines sold out within a month after release, making it one of the most sought-after wine estates in South Africa. The Webb family describe Thelema as “one of the most beautiful places on earth”. As Thelema in Stellenbosch continued to flourish, Gyles embarked on a search for an additional property in order to establish a second vineyard. In 2002, the Webb family purchased an idyllic farm with an undulating landscape, in the cool Elgin region, creating ideal grape growing conditions.