Winemaker Notes
This is an outstanding vintage of Nautical Dawn, loaded with salty yellow fruit and sweet herbs. This wine reflects the tension of the elements where it grows: the mellow glow of Stellenbosch sunshine and the cold slap of the salty Southeaster. The nose shows sour yellow fruit, sweet melon, and a touch of fennel. The palate is very energetic and intense this year, full of flavor, very long finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I like the orange fruit hints here like kumquats and apricots underneath crushed rocks, salted almonds and rosemary. Full of flavor, medium- to full-bodied, with intensity and power while remaining so fresh. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Complex and more lively than previous vintages, the 2022 Nautical Dawn offers better cohesion in the glass with a ripe, rich, round nose. Medium-bodied, the palate provides succulent acidity with a bright mouthfeel before showcasing a delightful mineral tension with a kiss of seaspray across the mid-palate. It concludes with a spicy finish that has me coming back for more. Be patient with this one—you’ll be tempted to open it before it’s time. The wine is fresh and bright and will likely be better with another year in the bottle.
Rating: 93+
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.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.