Tim Atkin South Africa Report 2021
The yearly Tim Atkin South African wine report was released in September by Master of Wine Tim Atkin himself. Thousands gathered online to await his announcement and overall assessment of all wineries.
We are honoured for the recognition in this prestigious report, and our team is encouraged by the results and more eager than ever to improve on our mission to produce thought-provoking and elegant wines. Our mission is to consistently produce quality vintages at the absolute mercy of Mother Nature. Furthermore, we strive to maintain our commitment to sustainability on the farm.
Saxenburg wines rated by Tim Atkin
For 2021 report, we decided to submit six wines to showcase our estate’s versatility, both in the vineyard and cellar. Tim highlighted that our Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 “is impressive at the price”
More about Tim Atkin
Tim Atkin is an award-winning wine writer with over 30 years of experience in the industry and recognised on a local and international front.
He continuously contributes to several leading wine publications and co-chairs the International Wine Challenge. This year, Tim released his ninth South African report and concluded over 1200 tasting notes.
As producers we are grateful to Tim and others like him, who commit a vast amount of time to researching and writing about our industry, giving us more international limelight and recognition.
Terroir
Decomposed granite forms the basis for most of our soils, with a few small sections of weathered Table Mountain sandstone.
The granite in the Polkadraai area is quite unique, as it is more coarsely grained than the other granites in Stellenbosch. This has given the soils of this area a coarser texture, which not only makes the soils dry out faster, but also contributes to the wonderful textures we get in our wines.
Our proximity to both False Bay and Table Bay ensures that Saxenburg is much cooler than the greater Stellenbosch region. This, combined with our predominantly decomposed granite soils, gives our wines an incredible sense of minerality and freshness.
Wine Making
We aim for purity and balance and strive to make wines that are as thought-provoking to taste, as they are pleasurable to consume. Over the years, we have carefully selected the sites that are most suitable for each of our varieties. We focus a lot of our efforts in the vineyards and thus minimising the need for input in the winery. The aim is to express our terroir to the best of our ability and there is a large focus on balance, mouthfeel, and texture for all our wines.
Final Words
We are proud of the achievements and encourage all wine lovers to add our award-winning and highly rated wines to their collection.
Warm wishes,
Fiona and Vincent Bührer