Winemaker Notes
A careful selection of up to 10 harvests through the same vineyard – choosing the bunches at their peak, naturally fermented in French oak about 50% new and aged for a year in barrel on the lees.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A ripe, inviting and delicious chenin blanc that has aromas and flavors of honey, apricots, papayas, candied ginger and chamomile. It’s full-bodied, creamy and honeyed, with abounding yellow and tropical fruit, plus a touch of cloves on a long finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 The FMC is pure Chenin Blanc that was picked via 23 passes through the vineyard. It underwent a natural ferment and aged in 400-liter barrels for 12 months, 40% new. Always one of Forrester's gems, this has a wonderful bouquet of orchard fruit, verbena and hints of honeysuckle. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, with touches of candied orange peel, white peach and apricot all very well defined and persistent through the elegant finish. Superb.
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Wine Spectator
A rich yet racy version, with vivid acidity creating a linear feel up front but then carrying the detailed core of poached quince, white peach, pickled ginger, lemon curd and orange blossoms, which expands on the palate. An overtone of toasted brioche, almond biscotti and vanilla-infused pastry cream is a subtle thread winding through the fruit core and echoing on the long, lush finish. Chenin Blanc.
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.