Winemaker Notes
This Chenin is shaped mainly by its cool climate from the surrounding Cape Town region as seen in its bright citrus and tropical notes with hints of ripe lime. The typical peach and apricot stone fruit on the nose comes from the Bottelary hills vineyards in Stellenbosch, and brings forth a richness to the wine. The palate is fresh, elegant and bright with distinctive natural fruitiness and gentle spice. Overall a fruit forward and seamless wine, with power and balance being the defining characteristics.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting with picturesque notes of lime candy, green apple skin and hints of reduction, the 2021 The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc offers a fine mineral essence with citrus blossoms on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, the wine explodes on the palate with rich and sweet citrus flavors, somersaulting with a delicate mineral tension and a bright, succulent mouthfeel with energetic acidity. The Chenin Blanc ends with a long, mineral-laced, citrus-driven finish that overdelivers for the price of admission. Don’t let the screw cap scare you away; this wine should be double the price.
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Decanter
Named after maverick South African winemaker Bernard Podlashuk, who helped put South African wine on the map, this showcases a classic style: old-vine South African Chenin Blanc. These are 40-year-old bush vines, grown on poor granitic soils on mountain-top vineyards. The yields are low, adding to the wine's concentration, and the grapes have been fermented in steel then aged in oak for nine months. Keenly priced, it shows good typicity, with pronounced lemon curd and tropical fruit depth, and an attractive oak spice and toastiness. If you aren't familiar with old-vine Chenin, this is a great introduction to the style.
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Wine Enthusiast
True to its coastal origins, this Chenin Blanc reveals notes of salt. It's fresh, displaying lively acidity and layers of flavors. Lime, white grapefruit and peach merge with a dash of almond, toasted oak and herbs.
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.