Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Pale, bright yellow. Sexy, complex aromas of peach, lemon, apple and flowers. Densely packed but also juicy and energetic, offering lovely inner-mouth floral character to its apple and pear flavors. The driest and most delicate of these three single-block Chenins, showing a captivating light touch. Quite dry and broad on the back end, finishing with lovely clarity of flavor and a note of pear drop. Really stains the palate and builds. This wine makes the W Block seem exotic by comparison. Very impressive, serious Chenin Blanc, and built for aging.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc Block S2 is generous and honeyed on the nose accompanied by tangerine and dried pineapple coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, notes of lemon peel, orange zest and stem ginger, leading to a lively and quite potent finish that lingers long in the mouth. This is excellent and will likely reward cellaring.
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.