Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Excellent with fish and sushi.

1 block (Damarakloof) 54 year old bush vines. An exceptional vintage. After the hot and dry 2016 season and a dry and warm autumn, we feared insufficient build-up of reserves in the vines and possible uneven budbreak, but we had a good normal wet and cold winter and the sudden warm weather in spring helped to provide more even budbreak than expected. An elegant, promising vintage, similar to 2007.

All the wine was fermented and matured in 2 old 700ℓ casks for 7 months with lees stirred as necessary to complete fermentation. No malolactic fermentation.

Grapes lightly crushed and allowed about 3 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.