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Fryer's Cove, Hollebaksstrandfontein, Sauvignon Blanc Fume, Bamboes Bay, 2020

From an extraordinary, isolated vineyard near Strandfontein 300m. from the Atlantic, cooled by the Benguela current. This is a tiny production wine named after the spring in the hollow of Bamboes Bay; fermented in French oak and clay pots, then aged in old barrels. Concentrated, rounded and complex, this shows fascinating notes of green fig, nuts, and chalkiness. Intense and different. Now-2025

On the outskirts of Strandfontein, a peaceful beach resort on the Atlantic coast 300 kilometres north of Cape Town, lies a lonely 6 hectare vineyard 800 metres from the Atlantic Ocean. How it came to be there is a remarkable story. Viticulturist Jan van Zyl knew this area from his experience at the nearby Vredendal co-op, and wanted to try to plant cool-climate varieties. He knew the micro-climate was extra-ordinary: very often the vines here are blanketed in a thick sea-fog, whilst only a few kilometers away inland the sun may be shining and the temperature torrid. He knew too that there was limestone - ideal for both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir - under the top-soil. He then had to negotiate with a bunch of farmers to pipe in water from the Olifants river 29 kilometres away in order to establish the vines. (This has since become so expensive and problematic that Fryers Cove now has its own desalination plant).

Jan's persistence has paid off. He and the winemaking team turn out one of South Africa's most interesting and characterful Sauvignon Blancs. We also offer their fragrant, early drinking Pinot Noir - of which they produce less than 300 cases - which has built up a good following and tends to sell quite fast. The quality of their wines and the distinctive nature of their terroir has already demanded that the estate should have its own tiny, but official, geographical entity, Bamboes Bay. Previously the wines were made in Stellenbosch, but a winery has been constructed right on the dockside in nearby Doring Bay - water-cooled!