Stellenbosch Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Can be served with many varied spicy dishes, full flavoured fish or chicken dishes.

South African Chenin Blanc can be expressed in so many ways, that, in some senses, a blend is the only way to touch on them all. The Damascene Stellenbosch Old Vine Chenin Blanc is a blend of fruit from three sites in the Bottelary region: Sonop, Houmoed, and Mooiplaas. All three sites are situated on hilltops. The Sonop block was planted in 1982 on a slope of shale situated at the north-eastern extreme of the mountain range. It contributes to the minerality, austerity and acidic grip in the final wine. Houmoed’s extremely steep west-facing slope features old bush vines planted into the Greywacke soils. These old vines (planted in 1972) add to the intense concentration of the component. Lastly, we farm a block at the very top of Mooiplaas, overlooking False Bay and Table Bay. This vineyard was planted in 1980 on a granitic outcrop with boulders dramatically strewn throughout the block. The cool west-facing slope delivers vibrancy and freshness to the final wine.

Roughly 30% of the way through fermentation, the grape must was transferred to second- and third-fill French oak barriques, followed by 11 months of sur lie barrel maturation.

The vineyards were harvested by hand from 28 January to 11 February 2020. The fruit was picked at 21.9 - 22.1 ̊B before being chilled overnight at 8 ̊C. In the cellar, whole clusters were sorted and pressed with a delicate champagne-cycle. No enzymes were added during pressing, and minimal sulphur was used throughout vinification. The fruit from each vineyard was fermented and matured separately, and it is only during final blending that it is decided how much of each component will make it into the final wine. A small portion of fruit was fermented on its skins to enhance grip and complexity. The rest of the fruit was pressed, and juice was allowed to settle overnight. No yeasts were added during fermentation, as only native yeasts were involved in the making of our wines.

DAMASCENE is a partnership between Jean Smit and David Curl, former owner of Château Gaby in Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux. What began as a conversation around making wine from the Pinot Noir planted on Curl’s Elgin estate swiftly revealed the pair’s shared passion for celebrating unsung pockets of South African terroir. Following the maxim of ‘Less cult, more cultivation’, the founding philosophy of DAMASCENE is simple, yet unyielding: that the journey to great wine can only begin in the vineyard. “DAMASCENE is about seeking out memorable vineyards and sites that truly showcase the incredible diversity of terroir we have here in the Western Cape,” says Smit. “I spend countless days on the road, covering thousands of kilometres, visiting vineyards and farmers in search of special parcels of land.”