Welville Old Vine Chenin Blanc

This Chenin Blanc is quite special, in that the Old Vine yield less fruit, yet has excellent concentration. Paired with a gruyere salad with grilled nectarines, or buttery west-coast sole is an option for summer, while Peking duck, hearty roasted root vegetable dishes or marmalade glazed gammon will be perfect for winter.

The Welville Old Vine Chenin Blanc gets its name from the old health clinic that was built on the farm in the 1930’s. Patients, mostly from Cape Town, spent weeks on the farm recovering from respiratory complications. In addition to the dry climate, thought to be beneficial to the patients, the farm also supplied the patients with organic fruit and vegetables during their recovery time on the property. Block A and B were planted in 1992 and the clone is SN 424. The Block is 130m above sea-level, North-East facing with North to South row direction. The soils are a combination of decomposed shale with a clay / loam base.

Fermentation took 14 days, after which the wine was left on the thick lees for 12 months, with battonage undertaken once a month.

The Chenin Blanc was harvested by hand early in the morning and immediately pressed. No enzymes were used on the grapes or juice. We settled the juice for 48 hours before moving the cloudy juice to the two barrels; the barrels being 5th and 6th fill respectively. Fermentation was done wild and between 16 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Gabriel & Gysbert, by winemaker Pieter Rossouw, speaks of heritage and exceptional terroir. Named in honour of his grandfathers, the fruit for this range hails from the family farm located in the age-old winelands of Bonnievale. The vineyards are uniquely situated at the foot of the Stormsvlei mountain range as it descends down into the Swellendam basin. Here, afternoon maritime winds offer respite during the hot summer ripening months. The soils are made up of a combination of Bokkeveld Shale with components of quartz rich sandstone weaved into the landscape. The shale sediments are from marine origin with a high amount of mineral deposits. Fruit handling is kept to an absolute minimum and juice is wild fermented, with minimum interference, resulting in a range that truly showcases the unique climate of Bonnievale