Family Reserve Chenin Blanc

The different grape parcels were harvested separately between 20 and 22° Balling, with a deliberate decision to pick at slightly lower sugar levels in order to retain freshness in the final wine. The grapes arrived at the winery early in the mornings, where they were crushed into holding tanks, and underwent skin contact for 12–18 hours prior to settling. After just one day of settling, the slightly turbid juice was racked off its gross lees into a stainless-steel tank and inoculated with selected slow-fermenting yeast strains. It was then gravity-fed into 400 L French oak barrels, Italian terracotta amphorae, and concrete eggs for fermentation, with barrel-fermented wine making up 50% of the final blend. No new oak was used, to preserve the delicate flavours of Chenin Blanc.

The Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2024 was crafted from vineyards across different wards in Stellenbosch, where vines grow predominantly on decomposed granite soils, each contributing to the wine’s complexity. As with the two preceding vintages, the 2024 is certified as originating from Heritage Vineyards, which consist mainly of bush vines. The canopies were suckered and tipped to maintain a cool microclimate around the bunches, preventing direct sun exposure and avoiding botrytis. Excellent winter rainfall in 2023 was followed by an extremely dry summer and accompanied by strong winds during flowering. This significantly affected fruit set in earlier cultivars such as Old Vine Chenin Blanc, resulting in lower yields. In addition, the unusually hot and dry conditions desiccated the topsoil to such an extent that the grapes ripened up to 14 days earlier than usual. The season was characterised by smaller bunches and berries, promising wines of remarkable flavour concentration.

The wine spent a further nine months on the lees in the respective fermentation vessels and was bottled without fining or filtration.