Noble Hill The Longest Day Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Shipshape.

No problem drinking Noble Hill The Longest Day Sauvignon Blanc 2011 despite encountering heavy swell as we motored from Table Bay harbour to Clifton on sail training yacht Howard Davis last evening.

The wine is intended for those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and hence the name as well as the launch date, yesterday being the longest day of 2011 – the sun rose at 05h32 and set at 19h57 making the day 14 hours and 25 minutes in duration.

It was made by Bernhard Le Roux, who joined Noble Hill in May 2010 after a stint at Vilafonté. Grapes were sourced from a Kaaimansgat vineyard, owned by Anthonii Rupert Wine and tended by hotshot viticulturist Rosa Kruger – the only other customer for this fruit is Sauvingon Blanc maestro Duncan Savage, who apparently is using it for an own-label Sauv-Sem blend.

I found The Longest Day 2011 generally quite closed, even though Le Roux had decanted it a full 24 hours before, which suggests that it is at least six months from showing at its best. It’s made in a lean style with lime fruit on entry before an extraordinarily dry, pithy finish. My provisional score is 15.5/20 although as I say I suspect it will get even better with time in bottle. Only 2 310 bottles made and recommended retail price is R95.