Chenin Blanc

Enjoy with a rich fish dish, sushi, shellfish or simply on its own.

2 blocks 39 & 41 year old bush vines in the Bottelary Hills. Deep gravelly Tukulu and Estcourt soil with 15 to 25% clay. Yield 7 tons/ha. 1 block (Keermont) 18 year old vines on 6 wire vertical trellis. Deep red hutton soil with good moisture retention. Yield 8 tons/ha. 1 block (Post House) 39 year old vines on a 5 wire basic trellis. More like uplifted bush vines. Lower slopes of the Helderberg, 8 km from the cooling influence of the sea. Gravelly Hutton and Escourt soil. Yield 4 tons/ha. Unirrigated. A cold and wet autumn of 2023 continued throughout winter with more than enough cold units to ensure even bud break in spring. Above average winter rain and even some flooding lower down the valley. August was warm and stimulated early budding. A cold and wet spring followed slowing growth and making canopy management a little easier. Strong winds at times during flowering and throughout the growing season reduced the crop size significantly. Apart from early spring, disease pressure was low. The summer and harvest period was hot and dry producing high quality, concentrated fruit. Harvest date: 30/1/24 - 9/2/24 @ 20,6 to 24,4 balling

Fermented and matured in 225ℓ, 400ℓ and 700ℓ casks for 9 months with lees stirred as necessary to complete fermentation. 8% new French oak used. Partial malolactic fermentation. Lightly fined with bentonite – a natural clay. Bottled unfiltered on the property by hand.

Grapes lightly crushed and allowed about 2 hours skin contact before gently pressing in a traditional basket press. Sulphur added and natural settling allowed for 2 days before 100% barrel fermentation with natural yeasts.

A small family winery at the end of the Upper Blaauwklippen Road in the mountains above Stellenbosch South Africa. Established in 1992 by architect David Trafford & artist wife Rita with the focus on high end red wines of great intensity & longevity using minimal intervention production methods.