2025 Savage - Sauvignon Blanc Salt River (750ml)

Duncan Savage launched Savage Wines in 2011 while still serving as head winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards, where he first honed his reputation for precise, expressive Sauvignon Blanc. By 2016 the project had grown into a full-time pursuit, and Savage built his urban winery in Salt River, a gritty industrial pocket of Cape Town, working with leased vineyards and old-vine grower fruit sourced across the Western Cape. His philosophy centers on tension, texture, and restraint rather than the loud tropical fruit typically associated with the variety.

This wine takes its name from that Salt River cellar, not a vineyard region, and blends fruit from five sites around Stellenbosch, anchored by a thirty-five-year-old bush vine block grown on the slopes of Bottelary. The remaining components come from a mix of trellised and bush vine plots planted in granitic soil, each contributing to the wine's saline, mineral-driven character. Fermentation takes place across a combination of stainless steel tanks, concrete eggs, and older barrels, building texture without added oak flavor, and the wine rests on its lees for four months before bottling and a further two months of bottle aging prior to release.

The result drinks closer to a Loire Sauvignon than a typical New World bottling, with nervy grapefruit zest, citrus spice, and tangerine giving way to a saline, textured finish. It pairs beautifully with oysters, grilled prawns, or a bright arugula salad with goat cheese.