Diemersdal

Diemersdal Estate sits on the cool, wind-swept slopes of the Dorstberg in Durbanville, just outside Cape Town, on land granted by Simon van der Stel to free burgher Hendrik Sneewind in 1698, later passing to Captain Diemer, whose name the farm still bears. The Louw family purchased the estate in 1885, and today the sixth generation manages the vineyards and winemaking. Though historically celebrated for Pinotage, it’s Sauvignon Blanc that has carried Diemersdal’s reputation onto the world stage, recognising the potential of the variety in the Cape’s cool-climate conditions, the estate released its first Sauvignon Blanc in a decision that would go on to define its identity.

Central to that story is winemaker Thys Louw, who joined Diemersdal as the sixth generation to farm the land, releasing his first wine, the Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc, from a small parcel of premium vines entrusted to him. The estate’s point of difference is its commitment to dryland viticulture rather than irrigation, which forces vines to dig deeper roots and toughen up against the Cape’s unpredictable seasons, a philosophy that has made Diemersdal one of Durbanville’s defining Sauvignon Blanc voices, alongside its innovative Winter Ferment style.

The 2025 vintage continued this trajectory, with the flagship blend drawn from ten different vineyard blocks varying in age, clone and site and earning a Silver medal at the 2026 International Wine Challenge. The 2026 vintage made headlines of its own: just over a month into harvest, Diemersdal bottled and released its Sauvignon Blanc 2026, one of the first from that year’s Cape vintage to reach shelves, despite warm, windy and dry conditions from November through January that nonetheless produced above-average yields and beautifully ripened fruit — a fitting showcase of the estate’s dryland resilience and its enduring race to be first to market each season.

Cape Cloud Sauvignon Blanc 2025, WO Cape Town, 12.5% Abv.

This special Sauvignon Blanc cuvée produced exclusively for the M&S supermarket, is sourced from cool climate coastal vineyards located close to Cape Town grown on decomposed Granite soils. The aromatics bristle with verve and energy, bright fragrant tones filled with crunchy white citrus, green apples and pear fruits laced with pronounced notes of crushed rocks, sappy cut grass and delicate white pepper hints. On the palate the freshness and crystalline fruit characters shine, the complex layers of green mango, guava fruit, Cape gooseberries and green fig deliciously concentrated and tightly interwoven. A refreshingly dry Sauvignon Blanc from a 5 Star Cape vintage. Drink now to 2028+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2026, WO Cape Town, 12.5% Abv.

This delightfully vibrant young 2026 Sauvignon Blanc is a true masterclass in pure, vivacious Sauvignon Blanc typicity, with attractive aromatics bursting with zesty lemon pith, gooseberries and a medley of tropical passion fruit nuances. Deliciously pure fruited and concentrated, the crystalline mouth watering intensity reveals a steely mid-palate tension in perfect synergy with a piercing tangy acidity, finishing with a delicately saline lemon-lime zest persistence. A Sauvignon Blanc lovers dream wine. Drink now to 2030.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Diemersdal Estate Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2025, WO Durbanville, 13.5% Abv.

Thys Louw represents the 6th generation to be farming and making premium wines in the Durbanville ward within the Cape Town district. Now regarded as one of the most renowned Sauvignon Blanc specialists, this Reserve cuvée epitomizes the estate’s focus on quality, innovation and experimentation. Impressively pure and refined, the 2025 Reserve is made from the highest vineyard block on the Diemersdal Estate, merely a stone’s throw away from Table Mountain and the cooling influence of False Bay. These premium dryland-farmed Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand harvested, preserving the fragrant aromatics of passion fruit, waxy green apples, black currant leaf, crystallised fig and classical Cape gooseberry characters. The palate displays a harmonious glycerol textural depth, full, broad and fleshy, layered with hints of white peach, green mango and lime cordial, supported by impressively integrated tangy fresh acids. This is a wine of substance and intensity, well-constructed with classical power, purity and persistence. Drink now to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

On my recent trip to South Africa, I finally popped my cherry and tasted the much talked about Diemersdal New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2020 from Marlborough. Already the third vintage in the collaboration between this South African estate and New Zealand producer Ben Glover from Glover Family Vineyards, tasting this wine inspired me to write a column for Winemag.co.za on chameleon brands. Read here: https://winemag.co.za/wine/opinion/greg-sherwood-mw-is-there-merit-in-chameleon-wine-brands/

The grapes for the 2020 were machine harvested at 21.2 Balling and crushed and destemmed reductively. The juice was co-inoculated with X5 and VL3 yeast which enhance some of the thiol notes but maintain the vibrant ripe herbaceous notes of the vineyard. The approximate time of fermentation was around 2 weeks, at around 12/13°C. The wine was then left on its lees for 3 to 4 weeks before racking and a small SO2 addition. The wine spent a further two months on its fine lees before bottling.

Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, New Zealand, 12.5% Abv.

3.6 g/l RS | 7.8 g/l TA | 3.18 pH

First nosing of this Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc indicates that there is a lot going on in the glass. The aromatics are classical and subtle but equally complex with notes of pithy white citrus, green apple cordial, white peach, dried herbs and savoury tinned petit pois nuances. The palate is taut and crisp with a strict linear structure in the mouth bolstered by cool, clean green crunchy acids and layers of green papaya, crunchy pears, apple pastille and peach fruits. Never too fruity or too pungent, but always cool and crystalline with some lovely limestone minerality on the finish, this is quite a grown-up expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from the Wairau Valley. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)