WTN: 2005 Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa

I had a glass of this at Nana's Restaurant in Durham, NC with an appetizer of baby asparagus with morels, truffle oil and shavings of Parmesan cheese. The wine is a pale color. Very crisp, almost flint nose and tastes of minerals and grapefruit. Nice! Liquid over rocks! Glad I didn't let the waiter talk me into the Gruner Veltliner instead.

I looked up Southern Right wines on the Internet and found a review of the 2003 Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc on a Seattle website. They say that the winery is located in the hills overlooking Walker Bay south of Cape Town and is named for the Southern Right whales that enter the bay annually. The winery specializes in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage.

[James Roscoe]

I'm glad you enjoyed the SB, but the waiter's recommendation of a Gruner sounds spot on for that appetizer. Either way it was a no lose proposition. As Otto would say, "Gruner rocks!"

They say that the winery is located in the hills overlooking Walker Bay south of Cape Town and is named for the Southern Right whales that enter the bay annually. The winery specializes in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage.

Southern Right is Anthony Hamilton Russell's other venture. AHR owns the renowned Hamilton Russell Vineyards that specializes in burgundian style Pinot Noir and Chardonnays. The vineyard was the first to locate in the cooler areas along that coast.

AHR is also passionate about Pinotage. His plantings for Pinotage and Sauvignon Blanc, which neighbour those of HRV wasn't great enough to meet the demand for his Southern Right wines and some grapes have been brought in, hence the 'western cape' appellation you saw on the 2003.

The Southern Right whales indeed come to give birth in Walker Bay and come within a few yards of the shore. We were there in October last year and there is never a time you cannot see whales.

Each bottle of Southen Right sold contributes to a whale conservation project. Needed now more than ever as a result of Japan recent decisions.

Thank you Peter for the additional information. Have you tried the Sauvignon Blanc? How about the AHR Pinot Noirs?

Yes, I am familiar with the Southern Rights and the HRV. I am not a fan of Pinot Noir but I think HRV's Pinot Noir is SA's best PN and as good as any from anywhere.

Look out for AHRs new 'Ashbourne' wine, which is a showstopper, but extremely hard to locate/