Chenin blanc came to South Africa as one of the first varieties planted in the country in the mid1600s under the name Steen. This led to much confusion amongst the wine industry as no one

could confirm if Chenin blanc was in fact the Steen varietal, until 1963, where the Head of

Viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch, Professor C.J Orffer, matched Steen and Chenin blanc

leaves and finally pronounced Steen, Chenin blanc.

Chenin blanc has a long-standing history in South Africa and has formed the backbone of our wine

industry and our brandy industry.

The Wine

The wine's aromas are white pear and pithy grapefruit, followed by elements of peach pip, light

honeycomb and soft floral notes. The mouthfeel is layered and smooth but holds a tremendous

amount of mineral flavour and depth. The concrete egg fermentation drives purity and minerality

which creates a lovely fresh and soft “sweet fruit” finish on the palate.

The Vineyard

The grapes are harvested from a vineyard planted back in 1966, this is important as older

vineyards create higher-quality grapes while producing a smaller yield. The vineyard is based in

the Botelary area in Stellenbosch, a popular area to grow the varietal as the conditions lean

perfectly into creating the truly unique South African style of the wine.

With the vineyard’s age it is a registered and protected heritage vine and falls into the Old Vine

Project. The Old Vine Project was created as a means to encourage vineyards to want to age

their vines, when a vine is young it creates a lot of grapes and a lot of bunches and along with

this increased yield the quality isn’t anything to write home about. Older vines on the other hand,

have had the time to grow their roots deep into the soil gathering minerals and nutrients from

the lower layers of the soil profile, this improvement in the quality of nutrients allows the vine to

produce higher quality, more concentrated grapes.

Winemaking

In the cellar we don’t let the wine touch a single stainless steel tank or a single oak barrel, we

utilise concrete eggs for the fermentation and maturation process. The concrete eggs are a

neutral material, offering no vessel influence on the wine, therefore you are tasting exactly what

the Chenin blanc tastes like without masking any of its notable quality. The material is also very

porous which allows air to interact with the wine thus fully developing the flavour profiles and

aroma profiles. The egg shape is also important as it allows the wine to constantly circulate

around the vessel thus sturring up the yeast cells and creating the brioche quality that is so

noticeable in the wine.

Wine Fact

South Africa grows more Chenin blanc than the entire world combined grows.

Awards

Platter’s Wine Guide 2023 – 4.5 Stars