Chenin Blanc

This Chenin Blanc is a great accompaniment to dishes such as smoked chicken salad on a warm summer’s day or thinly sliced carpaccio served on a bed of rocket with a lemon olive oil and black pepper dressing.

Legend has it, Stellenrust’s ancestral grandfather and founder believed that winemaking is an art – “it should pulse through your veins” he used to mumble: “you’re born a Da Vinci – you can’t be made a Da Vinci!” The same methodology still applies to viticulture and winemaking at Stellenrust. Managing partners, Kobie van der Westhuizen and Tertius Boshoff, were both given the opportunity to study a degree other than wine before making the hardy decision to follow their artistic passion for the drink of the gods. Kobie, a qualified accountant and Tertius, a medical practitioner and dentist, joined the family run operation in 2005 and set forth a journey of vigorous growth and discovery for an age old wine brand, her deep rooted vines and her people. Stellenrust harvests from nearly 400ha of vineyards surrounding the beautiful town of Stellenbosch. From the decomposed granite of the Helderberg’s Golden Triangle to the sandy clay soils of the maritime Bottelary Hills – each site is specifically suited and selected for the grape varieties and wines we produce. Winemakers are mere mediators from vine to bottle – it is our duty to capture the essence of the soil and the soul of the vine in every drop of wine we craft.

A cold and wet winter in 2023, allowed for early budding and foliage development in Spring to create a good environment for the ripening of Chenin Blanc through a dry but cooler 2024 summer. The old bush vines showed their strength in this vintage. Grapes are harvested from vineyards planted to decomposed granite and varying in age, but no younger than 30 years and up to 45 years.

Grapes are allowed short skin contact and natural settling in tank. 16% is fermented in 3rd and 4th fill French oak barrels and 84% in stainless steel after which both portions are kept 5 months on the fermentation lees before it is blended and fined. Fermentation is a slow natural process and wild yeast ferments like this can take up to 3 months to finish.