The importer Carovin recently held a tasting with the winemaking couple and husbands Andrew and Rosie Gunn at Hotel Nobis in Stockholm. We tasted six wines. It was Iona Chardonnay 2022, Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Iona Pinot Noir 2022 and 2014 and Solace Syrah 2021. Iona Elgin Highlands Pinot Noir 2022 is available in Systembolaget’s temporary range for SEK 249.
The style of the wines is very modern. Easy-drinking wines with some barrel ageing notes, but only as a nice marker, nothing too intrusive. The grape variety speaks clearly in the wines.
Most surprising was how well Iona’s 2014 pinot noir had aged. It was really on top right now. Even Andrew himself was pleasantly surprised!
I myself will buy and lay down Iona Pinot Noir 2022.
“If we were making colours, it should be the same, it should be consistent. But we’re not. We are making wine, and wine is going to be different every year. It’s a living thing.” -Andrew Gunn
A little background (ed.):
Iona Wines is located in Elgin, a little over an hour’s drive east of Cape Town near the south coast.
The winery is located in a fairly new wine district called Elgin. In the past, fruit was mainly grown there, apples not least. They still do that, but with more and more vineyards on the hills. Elgin has in recent years received a lot of attention as one of the districts in South Africa with a comparatively cool climate. Although the vineyards are close to the sea, they are located at a fairly high altitude, just over 400 meters above sea level.
Andrew Gunn bought his first land in Elgin in 1997. The first wine was produced in 2001. Rose owned a small farm next door and over time things evolved. They married and merged their businesses. Today they make a wide range of wines, with an emphasis on sauvignon blanc, plus pinot noir and some chardonnay. And a touch of nebbiolo and syrah.
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