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Damascene Chenin Blanc “Stellenbosch – Old Bush Vines” 2022 750ml
OUT OF STOCK
Sample image only.Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering, the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description.
SKU 945327
$45.60/bottle
Out of stock
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The 2022 Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch comes from vines on Greywacke, shale and granite soils planted between 1972 and 1981, whole cluster pressed and aged in oval Austrian foudres. This has a little more presence on the nose and is more outgoing with yellow plum, nectarine, peach skin and hints of red fruit. There is real complexity, becoming ever more minerally with aeration. The palate is very well-balanced with a little more viscosity and lees expression, lightly spiced with a vivacious saline finish. There is a sense of completeness here. Superb.
Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.
Country
South Africa
Situated on the very tip of the African continent, South Africa has proved itself over three centuries to be an ideal location for producing a wide range of wines. Benefiting from something not dissimilar to a Mediterranean climate, with long, hot summers complemented by both Atlantic and Indian Ocean winds, the grapes which grow on the valleys, mountainsides and plains of this fascinating country can ripen to their fullest capacity, producing wines packed full of fruity flavors and an array of interesting and enticing aromas. As a former colony, South Africa has long since been home to a range of different nationalities, who each brought something of their wine culture with them. As such, many European grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and others have been given time to flourish in South Africa, allowing the country to develop a diverse group of wine types which are proving increasingly popular around the world.
Region
Coastal Region
The coastal region of South Africa is one of the most prodigious and productive wine regions on earth, and one which covers a vast distance making up for most of the tip of the African continent. The history of South African wines is a fascinating and surprisingly long one, with the very first wines in the country being produced by settlers in the 1650s, long before many other New World countries had even been discovered. Today, coastal South African wines are wildly popular around the world thanks to their big, fruity flavors and relative simplicity. Wineries in the region make the most of the hot sunshine, the high quality soils, and the brisk oceanic winds which keep disease at bay and stop the grapes from getting too hot, and produce a wide variety of wines of great distinction.
Appellation
Stellenbosch
VM94pts
Vinous Media
The 2022 Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch comes from vines on Greywacke, shale and granite soils planted between 1972 and 1981, whole cluster pressed and aged in oval Austrian foudres. This has a little more presence on the nose and is more outgoing with yellow plum, nectarine, peach skin and hints of red fruit. There is real complexity, becoming ever more minerally with aeration. The palate is very well-balanced with a little more viscosity and lees expression, lightly spiced with a vivacious saline finish. There is a sense of completeness here. Superb.
JS93pts
James Suckling
Hints of gunflint and crushed hazelnuts to go with golden apples, mango stones and cedar, with grapefruit and lemon peel notes, too. It’s compact, creamy and intense, full-bodied, with delicious spice and nut complexity. Drink or hold.
Winery Notes
• Chenin Blanc.
• Sourced from 3 hilltop sites in Bottelary ward: Sonop, Houmoed, and Mooiplaas.
• Sonop block was planted in 1982 on shale situated NE extreme of the mountain range.
• Houmoed block was planted in 1972 on Greywacke soils situated on extremely steep North facing slopes.
• The Mooiplaas block was planted in 1980 on a granitic outcrop overlooking False Bay and Table Bay.
• Hand harvested.
• Whole clusters were sorted and pressed with a delicate champagne-cycle.
• Each block was fermented separately with indigenous yeast and matured separately.
• A small portion was fermented on the skins.
• Roughly 30% of the way through fermentation, the grape must was transferred to 1000L oval-shaped Austrian oak foudres, followed by 11 months of sur lie maturation.
• No battonage.
