Premium Release: Only three barrels of Catalina Semillon are produced from a single 0.9 hectare vineyard. Sold in allocations of three bottles, presented in a handcrafted wood case. The perfect gift idea this Christmas.

Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon

The Story

The Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon is made from a single 0.9 hectare vineyard, and celebrates exceptional quality while honouring the history of the land on which Benguela Cove is built. This vineyard’s location and the diurnal temperature range has a profound impact on the varietal definition and style, with meticulous canopy management setting it up for continuous success.

How This Award-Winning Wine Got Its Name

The wine is named after the long-lived Flying Boat that was on lease to the RAF (Royal Airforce) and operated from the Bot River Lagoon during the Second World War. The Catalina was used for coastal patrols and aerial support of the Allied convoys carrying supplies between Europe, Africa and the East. The Lagoon was set up as an advanced emergency base in February 1943 and remained in full operation until February 1945.

When the Allied Forces sailed past the Cape of Storms, up to three Catalinas operated from the Lagoon. Of the fourteen RAF men stationed at the base, three married South African women and returned to South Africa after the war. As abiding as its namesake, this Semillon has an ethereal quality with incredible ageing potential that evokes a sense of nostalgia. It was made to be remembered.

Tasting Note | Catalina Semillon 2018

This wine is ethereal though commanding. Endless and romantic. It allures with complex aromas of sweet pea sprouts, lime leaves, lemongrass, quince, orange blossom, greenage, apple sherbet, white lily and fynbos. All these nuances reveal a remarkable fruit purity that lingers on the palate, etched with an oyster shell minerality and integrated acidity. 

The elegant wine debunks the myth of semillon as a workhorse in the 80’s. It is admired for its intensity and ageability and this wine is the perfect example. It is a flagbearer for the estate, displaying definition and focus, complex yet genteel.

We currently have Catalina Semillon 2017 in stock, and are waiting for the 2018 vintage to arrive from our winery in South Africa.

Best South African Wines

The Walker Bay vineyard’s top achievers included its Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon 2018, awarded 94 points in Tim Atkin, MW’S South African Special Report 2020. This was the same score as its 2017 vintage last year, which sold out 1400 bottles of its limited production in just two weeks and was crowned with 5 stars in the 2019 Platter’s Wine Guide. Produced from a single, 0.9-hectare vineyard, the semillon’s youthful character adds a herbal note and produces a lot of tension that benefits from time to evolve, says cellar master Johann Fourie.