Fleur du Cap Chenin Blanc 2017
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This wine works wonders with seafood such as shellfish, crayfish, oysters, and mussels. It is a good choice for Thai and light chicken dishes as well as a mild bobotie. Serve chilled, but not ice cold.
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Wine Spectator
Friendly, with pear and green melon flavors allied to a slightly soft and rounded frame. A light verbena hint gives the finish lift. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
One of South Africa's premier and best-known labels, Fleur du Cap, is a member of the Distell group. The Fleur du Cap wines are made from grapes meticulously selected from superior vineyard blocks in the Cape Coastal region and are made in a contemporary style which captures and reflects the highly sought-after qualities of varietal character and terroir.
Leading the way, this new generation of wines is crafted in compliance with universal guidelines to ensure environmentally friendly winemaking practices. Winemaker Andrea Freeborough strives to make well-versed wines that reflect minimal intervention in the cellar. Great skill, unwavering dedication and participative team work lies behind the success of the Fleur du Cap wines. Making wine "the way Mother Nature intended" requires greater care from the winemaking team as each step of the intricate winemaking process has to be gently and sensitively handled to produce wines that express their terroir and varietal character.
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.