Chenin Blanc

Whole baked trout with lemon grass, roast chicken and 3 rice salad, or a creamy seafood pasta recipe.

Established by the French Huguenots in 1693 on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Plaisir Wine Estate is a rare gem. This 974-hectare estate in Simonsberg-Paarl has earned international acclaim for its white and red wines. About 230 hectares are planted with a variety of noble grape cultivars such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Winemaker Fred Fismer attributes producing award-winning wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain and the invaluable input from his viticulture team.

The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevation is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir’s wines. Well-drained, weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton), with good water retention, allow the Chenin Blanc blocks to capture the true character of climate and soils in its fruit. The vineyards, aged 10 to 14 years are situated between 350m and 450m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg.

The grapes were harvested by hand at 21° to 22° Balling. The grapes were divided into three different parts and each crushed, clarified and fermented separately. Fourth and fifth fill French oak barrels were used and the wine remained on the lees for 9 months. The barrels were rolled or stirred regularly to suspend the lees in order to gain complexity, better integrated oak flavours and to add to the mouth-feel of the wine.