2024 Vintage — Elgin Highlands, South Africa

Iona’s Monopole is the top tier of the estate’s Sauvignon Blanc programme — a single-block selection from the highest, coolest, most exposed parcels at the top of the Elgin Highlands. Iona sits at 420m on the southern slopes of the Hottentots-Holland mountains, where Atlantic air pushed in through the Palmiet River valley keeps mean temperatures lower than almost anywhere else under vine in South Africa. The result is Sauvignon Blanc with the structure, energy and minerality of a cool-site Loire or Marlborough.

Hand-harvested over multiple passes, whole-bunch pressed, then fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and seasoned oak fuder/foudre for extra texture and length, with extended lees contact. “Monopole” denotes a single-owner block — this wine is sourced exclusively from one vineyard, treated as a separate cuvée.