Winemaker Notes
The pinnacle of what Ken Forrester considers to be the finest expression of the grapes of this varietal – an icon chenin, a challenge to the world! Rich, layered with dried apricot, vanilla and honey. Will gain additional complexity with cellaring.
Enjoy with special friends as an exciting aperitif or with spiced dishes, even mild seafood/shellfish or curries. Great with exotic Eastern spiced foods.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has aromas of pears, sliced peaches, smoked almonds, fresh mangoes and aniseed. Honey, too. It’s textured and creamy with a full body and refreshing minerality. Long, cool and bright finish.
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Vinous
The 2024 The FMC, one of the Cape's best-known Chenin cuvées, comes from 19 selections in the vineyard as different pockets ripen at different paces. Fermented and aged in 400-litre French oak barrels for up to 12 months with 40% new oak, this has a beautifully defined bouquet with yellow plum, beeswax and subtle nutmeg aromas. The palate is well balanced with well-integrated new oak. Hints of apricot and Satsuma, vibrant and poised, linger exquisitely on the finish. Just irresistible.
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.