Quinta Essentia Chenin Blanc 2018
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A deep yellow color suggests full ripeness and complexity. Aromas of baked pear, ripe apple, hints of fresh citrus and roasted nuts are present on a complex and layered nose. The palate is richly textured revealing pineapple, tropical fruits and golden delicious apple. The finish is long complemented by a firm acidity that gives the wine length and focus.
Pair this wine alongside grilled fish and seafood in general.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from five different dry-farmed vineyards, of which the oldest vines are 77 years old, the 2018 Chenin Blanc displays a soft gold color with hints of copper on the rim. The nose wafts with tones of dusty citrus and a mineral-laced floral essence, with kumquat elements, pineapple husk and citrus blossom in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine offers an impressive weight across the mid-palate with notable oak expressions that unfold to be broad-shouldered and food-friendly with energetic acidity. The wine ends with a long, lingering finish and a kiss of phenolic bitterness (typical for this grape), begging me back for another sip. Made from native yeasts, this was barrel fermented in 300-liter oak barrels—20% new—and allowed to rest for 12 months before bottling. Keep your eye on this producer for more fantastic and exciting Chenin Blanc. Rating: 91+
Quinta Essentia, founded in 2015, is a partnership between Betz Family Winery, leading South African winemaker Carl van der Merwe, and DeMorgenzon owner Wendy Appelbaum. They have set out to rediscover and resurrect compelling low yielding old bush vine Chenin Blanc vineyards in Stellenbosch South Africa, and then craft wine that expresses this unique terroir.
Ancient wisdom held that four elements - Air, Earth, Fire and Water - constitute the world, and that various combinations of these elements could create all objects and substances. The existence of the four elements implied that there must be an additional “fifth element", the “Quinta Essentia”. The Quinta Essentia was the aether itself; the substance that the heavens were made of. It was considered to be eternal, immutable and the source of all things. Philosophers have debated Quinta Essentia for centuries: no one has managed to explain it conclusively. The Quinta Essentia partners say that the search for vineyards with the potential to make an ethereal wine is just as elusive.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.