UNVEILING THE FAIRVIEW ALTESSE 2024, A DARLING REVIVAL WHERE TERROIR REIGNS

Fairview have released the first white wine in their Regional Revival Range, a classic Bordeaux-style white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon with a Darling maritime zest. Renowned for doing things differently, Fairview’s Regional Revival Range is a collection that reimagines the great wines of the Old World — Italy, Spain, and France — with an unmistakable Cape twist.

“The Fairview Altesse 2024, a delightful exploration of flavours, textures, and aromas, is a testament to the extraordinary cool-climate West Coast vineyards we are privileged to farm”, says Charles Back, third-generation owner of Fairview.

“The name Altesse symbolises the altitude and the sea, the two biggest influences in Darling’s unique terroir that inspired this wine. Grown on the cool rolling hills surrounding Darling, Fairview’s vines gaze down over the cold Atlantic Ocean and the distant beach breakers at Yzerfontein, capturing the cool whispers of the ocean. Here, altitude and sea meet to shape a white blend rooted in tradition, yet alive with a refreshing Cape influence. A harmony of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, it is a wine with finesse, purity of fruit, and a notable sense of place, brimming with maritime vitality. Bordeaux’s white blends, with their balance of tension and texture, served as inspiration here, but the result is something uniquely our own, shaped by the coastal climate of Darling and our restless pursuit of characterful wines. Altesse – a Darling revival where terroir reigns.”

FAIRVIEW ALTESSE 2024

The Blend: A blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Sémillon, Fairview Altesse is awine that beautifully balances freshness and richness, a gracious symphony of the Sauvignon’s crisp citrus-driven vitality and the Sémillon’s depth and texture.

The Story: Charles Back continues, “Inspired by the excellent quality of our Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grown on the upper slopes of the Darling Hills overlooking the ocean, we introduced a new member to our Regional Revival Range. This beautifully composed Bordeaux-style white blend needed a name that expressed the essence of its unique coastal climate where the high altitude and proximity to the sea have a pivotal impact on the quality of the wine. While reading one day, I came across the word Altesse and became enamoured with it as a captivating anagram for Altitude and Sea”.

The label: The label itself tells the story: a striking design reminiscent of a vintage postage stamp, featuring a lighthouse standing watch over rolling vineyards and ocean waves. It’s a nod to the place that defines this wine — where the cold Atlantic meets the hills of Darling, where vines grow in the rhythm of the sea breeze, and where terroir reigns supreme.

In the vineyard: Anthony de Jager, Fairview’s cellarmaster, comments, “The Altesse is produced from our best Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon sites on our Alexanderfontein and Lanner Hill West Coast farms. Here, the altitude and cooling ocean influences provide a longer ripening period, allowing grapes to retain acidity while developing complex aromas and flavours. Darling’s ancient soils are deep, lime-rich, and red-clay-based, providing excellent moisture retention and drainage capabilities. This soil profile, combined with the region’s climate, creates an optimal setting for dryland farming, allowing for the production of wines with a clear expression of their terroir”.

In the cellar: Harvested early in the morning, the grapes arrived at the cellar before sunrise. Whole berries were gently pressed, and the juice settled for 48 hours. The Sauvignon Blanc component was fermented and aged in stainless steel for 9 months on the gross lees to enhance complexity, while the Sémillon was fermented in 500L French oak and aged for a further 9 months in oak.

In the glass: Straw in colour with a touch of green in the glass, Altesse entices with a vibrant mix of white peach, orange blossom, green figs, herbs, zesty lime notes, and a touch of sea spray, typical of Fairview’s cool-climate Darling vineyards. The palate hums with energy, abounding with bright lime and citrus, the Sauvignon’s lifting freshness seamlessly interwoven with the richer notes and generous mouthfeel from the judiciously oaked Sémillon. A radiant expression of its coastal terroir, Altesse rounds off with a lingering saline minerality characteristic of the Cape West Coast. This elegantly layered wine, ever-evolving in the glass, is showing beautifully now, but will gain complexity with cellaring. All in all, it is a gorgeous wine — driven by its origin, shaped by the ocean, and made for those who appreciate a little adventure in their glass.

Food Recommendation: A wine like this begs for food. Think grilled West Coast fish and a zesty salsa verde, prawns with lemon butter, a creamy seafood risotto, slow-roasted chicken, or even a simple, well-aged cheese. It has the presence to stand up to rich, layered flavours but the verve to keep you coming back for more.

Price: R190

Purchase: Fairview Altesse is available from the Fairview cellar door and at select fine wine merchants around the country. Or shop online at

https://fairviewmarketplace.co.za/product/fairview-altesse-regional-revival-range-fairview-wines

FAIRVIEW WINE AND CHEESE

Suid-Agter Paarl Road, Suider-Paarl, 7646

Tel: 021 863 2450 · Email: info@fairview.co.za