Sauvignon Blanc Iona, Elgin Highlands 2025

Andrew Gunn, Elgin Highlands 

At 420m above sea level, set high above the picturesque Elgin Valley overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Andrew Gunn founded Iona among some of the coolest vineyards in the Cape.

In a country where cool-climate vineyards are like gold dust, these vineyards are veritable nuggets. The growing season is extremely long, harvesting up to 2 months after Stellenbosch, which allows Andrew to create wines with complex flavours and a fresh, elegant style. The viticultural approach is emphatically hands-off: the land is farmed according to organic and biodynamic principles, with particular focus on ensuring the health of the soil, and pests are kept under control by the resident flock of geese that roam the vineyards.

These wines represent the unique meso climate of the Iona Elgin Highlands. This elevated plateau sitting at an average of 450m above sea level is home to the coolest vineyards in the country. A combination of gravel bed, sandstone and silica soils quartz soils with underlying clay support the vines which were planted between 1997 and 2012. The aim is for elegance, balance and to express the unique terroir of the Elgin Highlands. Grapes were hand-picked into crates early in the morning to ensure that the grapes stayed cool.

Purity of limes and ripe gooseberry, with tropical, floral and fine herbal notes, ruby grapefruit and white pear drop on the finish. This is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc – vibrant, mineral, elegant, balanced and delicate, with a long, layered and complex finish.

Grapes: 96% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Sémillon

Organic