Old Vine Chenin

Shellfish, Spicy food, Lean fish, Mild and soft cheese

Growing up on my family’s sheep farm near Sutherland in the arid Karoo I spent hours exploring the veld with my canine companion. We enjoyed the simple pleasures of farm life and Nature has always been in my blood. With my passion for the outdoors combined with an affinity for Maths and Science I had my sights set on studying medicine and enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree at Stellenbosch University. It was here that the wine bug bit. After graduating from Stellenbosch University with a BSc and BSc Honours in Wine Biotechnology in 1998 I was appointed as Assistant Winemaker at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch in 1999. Completing harvest tenures in Sancerre St Emilion and Beziers France I gained an appreciation for the balance and elegance of the wines of these regions. Following my time at Kleine Zalze I accepted a winemaker position at Graham Beck Wines in 2005. After a brief stint under the mentorship of Charles Hopkins then-Cellar Master at Franschhoek I found myself the sole winemaker in a world class cellar and living my dream. Drawing on my extensive training and rewarding career as a winemaker and marketer with invaluable experience locally and abroad I took a leap of faith and started my own label in 2016.

Fruit from a dry land farmed bush vine planted in 1974 in Agter-Paarl on Malmesbury shale and decomposed granite soils. Between Paarl, Malmesbury and Durbanville lies the fertile Agter Paarl area, here the summers are hot and dry, with colder wet winters. The farmers rely entirely on rainfall to quench the rich and fertile soil. The cool sea breezes that flow in from both the Indian and Atlantic oceans act as an effective antidote to the scorching sun, to keep the ripening grapes at an optimal temperature required to produce truly great wines. Overcoming difficult growing conditions, dry land vines yield small berries with concentrated flavour and colour which in turn create exceptional wines. The Chenin Blanc grape is particularly well adapted to this terroir. A much cooler and later 2021 season with moderate weather throughout the season, and specifically during harvest time, resulted in grapes ripening slower, while developing exceptional colour and flavour. The weather was moderate during the post-harvest period, which led to leaves falling later than normal and vines building up good reserves. Winter was colder than the previous season, with much higher rainfall, which replenished water resources and led to sufficient cold accumulation to break dormancy. The cold and wet weather continued into spring, which contributed to homogenous, but delayed bud-break and initial growth. Flowering and set were mostly efficient and even, while shoot and leaf growth picked up the pace by the start of November, this necessitated additional inputs to manage the fast and vigorous growth. Temperatures remained moderate during the summer, slowed down ripening and resulted in harvest time starting around two weeks later than normal. Although a little rainfall was experienced during harvest time, there were also no characteristic heatwaves, and the lower day and night temperatures throughout the season it was a game of waiting patiently for grapes to reach optimum ripeness. The 2021 harvest produced wines of excellent quality with concentrated fruit, freshness, good acidities, complexity and good ageing potential.

Barrel fermented in 500 li French Oak barrels (30% new fill and 20% second fill and 50 % 3 – 4th fill) and matured for 10 months on gross lees prior to bottling. Bottled January 2022

Hand harvested early morning. Crushed and destemmed with 5 hrs skin contact before pressing.