Paulus Wine Co have gone bush.
Deep in the Swartland, in the renosterbos dotted landscape, two chroniclers came together — one from Cape Town’s sunny shores, the other from southern France’s azure coastline. Holding a licked finger to the wind, they consult almanacks, covering corkboards in crisscrossings of string, as they wait and they observe. “The bush is a place of stillness and resilience, but also of quiet transformation,” says co-owner and winemaker Pauline Roux. “It’s where things grow, shift, and unfold over time.” But more importantly, it’s where Paulus’s wines begin: in wild, dry-farmed Chenin Blanc bushvine vineyards.
There are other grapes that tend to shoulder their way into the limelight, boasting terroir expressiveness and claiming various royal titles (ahem, Queen Chardonnay and Prince Pinot Noir). Yet, both Paulin Roux and Paul Jordaan were drawn to Chenin, not for its swagger, but for its quiet dialogue with the earth. “Chenin is resilient, expressive, and incredibly versatile,” says Pauline. “What we love the most is how transparently it reflects its place and tells a completely different story depending on where and how it is grown.”
Bosberaad directly translates to “bush meeting” in Afrikaans, but its meaning is more nuanced than that. “An organised gathering in a neutral, quiet location, away from noise and distraction, where challenges can be resolved through constructive dialogue and collaboration” better captures its philosophical essence. From old 1980 Swartland vines, this Chenin is all grit and restraint, showing notes of green papaya salad, apricot, crème brûlée top and delicate white flowers. It’s a celebration of South Africa's sun-soaked terroir and a whispering of reverential power, while piercing with arrow-like acidity. “Bosberaad always surprises people with its texture; it is rich but never heavy,” says Pauline.
Occitan slang for a “walk through the bush to find your way”, Bartàs is the second Chenin in the chronicles, telling stories of going off normal routes, facing obstacles, and encountering challenges necessary to reach your destination. Inspired by the elegant Chenin Blancs of the Loire Valley, Bartàs is serious, salty and crystalline in its structure. Another old vine example, this time from a 1978 vineyard in the Helderberg, this is a Chenin that crackles with energy and purity, and pings with the clarity of a tuning fork.
An alternative to the grapevine, the bush telegraph to which these wines are plugged into is a direct line to the vineyard. Sip them, and dial in to their origins. No beating about the bush here.
