Winemaker Notes
Ripe apple and hints of peach on the nose and the palate. Subtle chalky notes add interest and complexity. The palate is juicy and will become richer in time. Typical Chenin acidity lingers on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Fifth-generation brothers Tyrrel and Philip Myburgh aim to resurrect the methods of their great-grandfather and his brother – who farmed the land and made wine in the early 1900s – eschewing modern-day additives and manipulations. Planted in 1984, the bush vines on Hercules Pilaar farm in Paarl are dry-farmed and tended by hand. Grapes were pressed into stainless steel tanks for fermentation using indigenous yeasts with a further five months’ ageing on lees. Greg Sherwood MW: Serious aromatic expression with dried bush veld, fynbos, pithy yellow apple and pineapple pastille. Lovely cool elegance, finely poised balance with harmony and precision. Beverley Blanning MW: Light floral, hawthorn nose. Palate shows sweetly floral fruit and good balance of citrussy acidity. Very attractive. Roger Jones: Lemon curd with spice and citrus peel, toffee apple aromatics. Wet stone, juicy, fresh and fragrant finish. Superb texture, layered, will evolve.
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.
Flanked by majestic mountains on either side, the Paarl district is a valley whose most valuable water source is the Berg River. While sometimes during dry and hot summers, the vineyards in the valley need supplemental irrigation, those vineyards on the eastern slopes where water retention is better, aren't irrigated.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc enjoy great success in Paarl.