Organic Chenin Blanc

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

As budding young winemakers back in 2001, we sometimes struggled to find decent wines we could afford. My brother Philip and I were involved with our family winery (Joostenberg Wines) and José was busy at his (Stark-Condé Wines).We weren’t looking for rockstar bottles that cost a fortune. But we had pretty high standards (in our own opinion) and wanted wines we could enjoy with our friends, most of whom were also in the wine industry. We were wine geeks in need of an everyday wine. We saw a niche in the market and got to work but first had to come up with a name for this new project. To keep peace in the families, we took our wives’ initials (we each have one wife!) — and that is how we explained to Marie, Anette and Nicky that we were going to be “busy” most weekends. “It’s for you!” we told them. We immediately got to work in an old tractor shed and that first year, we made a total of 600 cases of Pinotage. – Tyrrel Myburgh, co-founder

A warm and dry growing season produced small but concentrated berries with enhanced flavours. Warmer daytime temperatures combined with cooler nighttime temperatures resulted in quality fruit with balanced, fresh acidity. Our Chenin Blanc vineyards in the Agter-Paarl region are 100% dry-farmed (unirrigated), and these bush-vines are mostly over 25 years in age. The soils are primarily Malmesbury Shale, which impart minerality and fresh acidity.

Grapes were hand-harvested and only the free-run juice was used. After settling, the must was innoculted and allowed to ferment over 20 days in stainless steel tanks at an average fermentation temperature of 13°C. The wine was left on its gross lees for 3 months until bottling for a richer mouthfeel and longevity. 100% un-oaked to preserve the freshness of the fruit. Fined and filtered before bottling.