Winemaker Notes
Peach and apricot are evoked on the nose and carry seamlessly into the palate layered with honeysuckle and beeswax. The focus and texture of this wine are extraordinary. Another work of art by the Cravens.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2022 Chenin Blanc Karabib comes from 40-year-old vines, is whole bunch pressed, and went straight into concrete for the first time. Opening nicely with aeration, this taut bouquet has mandarin and touches of wet wool, lanolin and melted wax. The palate is well-balanced with a fine acidity, firm and fresh with a saline and stem ginger-tinged finish. This is a very stylish Chenin Blanc that will age beautifully in bottle.
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.