Winemaker Notes
Named after our grandmother, Hope Marguerite Beaumont, this barrel fermented and matured Chenin Blanc is always elegant and complex. Beaumont's old vine Chenin Blanc is naturally fermented in 400L French oak. Beautiful aromas of dried apricot, marzipan and spice with hints of green apple and integrated oak on the palate. This is a pure expression of our flagship Chenin.
Matches brilliantly with seafood especially scallops and any beautifully spicy Asian dish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc is an interesting wine. It has a classic acid line through the center of the palate like the rest of the Chenin Blanc in the range, but the expression is fuller on the nose and palate. This has a bright citrus core with weighty tropical fruit tones of fresh pineapple blossoms that fill the nose and flood the palate. There is also precision and mineral tension on its broad mid-palate. The grapes had to have been harvested at an earlier date to retain the classic Chenin Blanc identity. It has a structured balance with a long finish. This is a really enjoyable wine. I'm just now thinking about this wine with fresh seafood, and it is making me hungry and thirsty. 16,800 bottles were made.
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.