Diemersdal, the acclaimed wine estate in Durbanville, has released its highly anticipated Sauvignon Blanc Reserve from the 2024 vintage, a wine that exemplifies the exuberance and expression of the cool-climate Durbanville terroir.
Proprietor-winemaker Thys Louw, the sixth-generation Louw to own and farm the Diemersdal estate, noted that the 2024 vintage delivered outstanding quality Sauvignon Blanc despite the warm to hot conditions experienced in December and early January leading up to the harvest.
“Our standard 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, released earlier this year, hinted at this being an exceptional year for the variety,” says Louw. “The Diemersdal Reserve upholds the reputation of this vintage, delivering splendid Sauvignon Blanc with purity, finesse, and a vivid array of classic flavors coupled with invigorating freshness.”
Louw highlighted that Diemersdal’s vineyards benefited from a remarkable growing season due to the cool, mild conditions during the spring and early summer of 2023. “A splash of rain in December refreshed the vines and built up water reserves. As the harvest commenced, temperatures remained mild to warm, with the heat arriving at just the right time for optimal ripeness,” he explains.
Diemersdal’s 2024 crop exhibited even ripening, which Louw attributes to their unirrigated, dryland vineyards that have adapted to the climatic conditions and consistently produce well-ripened grapes.
The Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is crafted from two vineyards on Diemersdal, located at different altitudes—one at 400 meters above sea level, the highest on the farm, and the other at 150 meters. Both vineyards are situated on decomposed gravel soils with substantial clay content, offering ideal drainage and water retention. The influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean, combined with the unique soil and vineyard aspects, consistently yields superb Sauvignon Blanc fruit from these sites.
“Vines thrive and are more in tune with their natural environment when they rely solely on rainfall for water,” says Louw. “For us, it is all about the vineyard, and it is the vineyard that makes the Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve.”
After harvesting, the grapes for the Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2024 were crushed and destemmed, with 24 hours of skin contact before pressing. The juice settled for 36 hours before being racked and inoculated with selected yeast. Following a three-week alcoholic fermentation, the wine was kept on the lees for five months, with weekly stirrings to enhance complexity and mouthfeel.
“I appreciate how the classic flavors of nettles and fynbos are presented from the outset, balanced by expressive tropical notes and a fresh zip of citrus acidity,” says Louw. “The tropical elements are more pronounced this year due to the warm summer, but the wine retains the inherent coolness that Sauvignon Blanc is renowned for and universally popular.”
