# Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc (2025)

- **Producer:** Stark-Condé Wines
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** Western Cape, South Africa
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €18
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** pear, pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, gooseberry, grass, vanilla, butter, toast

## About this wine

Proprietor José Conde admits to having a complicated relationship with Sauvignon Blanc, often finding South African expressions too green or simplistic. To counter this, Stark-Condé set out to craft a food-friendly, age-worthy style focused on texture, weight, and site-specific purity. Sourced from the high-altitude 'Round Mountain' block on the Oude Nektar farm in the Jonkershoek Valley, this single-vineyard wine represents a sophisticated, organic approach to the variety. The name 'Round Mountain' is also a playful nod to the Japanese maiden name of José's mother-in-law, 'Maruyama', which translates to the same meaning.

## Interesting facts

- The name 'Round Mountain' is a play on 'Maruyama', the Japanese maiden name of proprietor José Conde's mother-in-law.
- Sourced from a single organic vineyard block planted in 1994, with vines averaging 31 years old for the 2025 harvest.
- Awarded 94 points by Tim Atkin MW in his 2026 South Africa Special Report.

## Food pairing

The wine's high natural acidity cuts beautifully through rich textures, while its barrel-fermented weight and subtle oak notes complement grilled white meats, seafood with butter-based sauces, and tangy, mature goat cheeses.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested early in the morning to preserve natural acidity and prevent oxidation. After pressing and natural settling, the juice is racked slightly 'dirty' directly into French oak barrels (5% new, 95% older neutral casks) where fermentation takes place. While malolactic fermentation is not actively encouraged, a small portion occurs naturally to round out the palate. The wine is then matured for 9 months on its fine yeast lees (sur lie) with partial batonnage (lees stirring) to build mid-palate weight and texture before bottling.