Luddite Saboteur White 2023 (magnum)

Kleur: licht strogeel
Geur: zeer open, bloemig, witte amandelen, citrus, groene appels
Smaak: elegant, laag alcohol, spannend, ziltig, sappig, droog, ietsje mineralig
Houdbaar: koel serveren, op dronk, houdbaar tot eind 2029
Lekker bij: ceviche, groene salades met citrus, oesters, sushi & sashimi, jonge geitenkaas (Crottin)

Blend: 77% Chenin Blanc, 13% Blanc Fumé en 10% Viognier

Tasting Note by Niels
Appearance: Pale straw with golden hues.
Nose: Orange blossom, almond and peach
Palate: Stone fruits on entry. A rich mouthfeel with a salty, citrus finish.
A great natural acidity will allow this wine to age gracefully.

WineMag 92/100

There’s always been so much to like about the Saboteur wines made by Bot River cellar Luddite, from the cool packaging (including crown-cap closure) to what’s actually inside the bottle. The White 2023 is now out and it doesn’t disappoint.

Consisting of 77% Chenin Blanc, 13% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Viognier sourced variously from Bot River, Stanford and Elgin, the first two varieties spent 12 days on the skins while maturation lasted seven months in older barrels (small portion of tank fermented Chenin added for extra fruit and freshness).

The nose is complex with lots of yeasty complexity initially but later opening to reveal honeysuckle, naartjie, peach, apricot, nectarine and melon. The palate is rich and dense but equally doesn’t lack freshness thanks to punchy acidity, the finish deeply savoury. As ever, plenty of interest from a wine that sells for the very reasonable price of R200 a bottle.

Platter’s 90/100 ****(*) (oogst 2022)
Proudly artisanal, characterful 2022 cocks a snook at convention. Chenin (71%), viognier & sauvignon blend has earthy, yeasty charm, with rich baked apple & quince preserve notes, meaty skin-ferment tannins. Pop the quirky crown cap & enjoy, now & over next few years.

Niels over de 2022:

As the Luddite Saboteur White gains more following, we continue to grow this wine always keeping quality in mind. So, with this said, this is the first vintage where we sourced fruit from Standford which still keeps the wine to the Cape South Coast region. Very tricky harvest as it rained heavily but luckily, we picked early for freshness and acidity, therefore missing the rain.

We continue to have skin contact on the Chenin and Viognier to give some tannin, texture and structure to the wine. Both varietals spent 12 days on skins with morning and evening punch-downs. We then pressed, taking as much lees and sediment to barrel to complete the fermentation. We also did a small portion of tank fermentation Chenin Blanc for extra primary fruit. The Sauvignon Blanc is whole-bunch pressed and pumped directly to barrel without settling to ferment. All the components spent 7 months in old French Oak barrels with regular batonnage.

We racked and blended the 3 components, always having food and drinkability in mind. The 2023 blend is 77% Chenin Blanc, 13% Blanc Fumé and 10% Viognier. We hope that we have continued to achieve our goal which is to have a serious, well-structured yet refreshingly fruity white wine.