2019 Vintage
THE GOOD GUYS MUSE
The fresh vibrancy of white peach and apple aromas on the nose, hint at the wine’s sophisticated elegance and a touch of cinnamon adds to its complexity. A great representation of South Africa as the most widely planted white grape variety, where it was historically also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, or it may have come with Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
ACCOLADES
Platter’s Guide: 4/5 stars
TASTING NOTES
A generous mid palate of quince, pineapple and a weighty feel reward while the bright acidity refreshes with an interesting tang and persistent clean, mineral finish.
The gnarled old bush vines that produce this characterful Chenin Blanc are planted in some of the purest granite soils on the foot hills of the magnificent Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. The vines are mainly grown under dry land conditions, meaning they are not irrigated, and therefore their roots plunge metres into the granite sub soil in search of moisture. The altitude of the vineyards, the steep South-East facing slope and the proximity to False Bay mean that these vines are well exposed and cooled by winds that come off the ocean during the long, hot summer. These factors combine to produce a wonderfully fresh and vivacious expression of what is to us, the Cape’s greatest grape.
Grapes were picked by hand as well as manually sorted to ensure that we maintain the purity of varietal expression for which this wine has become known. Gentle de-stemming before equally gentle pressing in a pneumatic bag press were used and the extracted juice was settled in chilled stainless-steel tanks prior to alcoholic fermentation. This took place mainly in tank, on the lees, with about 40% of the must being transferred into Burgundian barrels for natural fermentation–an equal mix of new, 2nd and 3rd fill. There was also a small portion of skin contact. In combination these steps have resulted in the preservation of freshness, but also development of considerable fruit and aromatic intricacy in the wine alongside the mineral edge it so proudly displays. The wine retains lively fruit, a lithe texture, steely acidity & abundant aromatic concentration: the exact qualities you’d expect from beautiful old vines in this area.
BLEND
100% Chenin Blanc