Heritage Vineyards Old Vine Chenin Blanc

Shellfish, Spicy food, Lean fish, Mild and soft cheese

The grapes for this wine comes from selected “Bush Vine” vineyards in Stellenbosch. The average age of these vines are 35 years and are predominantly planted on decomposed granite soils. Owing to the nature of bush vines, careful canopy management was exercised to ensure that no bunches were exposed to excessive sunlight, in turn ensuring even ripening of the grapes. Due to a cool, wet spring, budding was seven to 14 days later than usual, but consistently good and even, promising a great vintage.

After fermentation the wine was aged on the primary lees for another 7 months before being racked out and prepared for bottling.

The grapes were handpicked early in the morning and immediately crushed into holding tanks. We gave extended (24hours) skin contact to extract all the Chenin flavours to ensure good structure in the final wine. Only the free run juice was used and settled for 1 day before transferring to a combination of stainless-steel tanks, French oak barrels, Italian Terracotta amphorae and locally produced concrete eggs for fermentation. No new barrels were used to ensure that unique characters of the specific terroirs were preserved in the wine, and only nuanced by a touch of oak. The use of stainless steel for fermentation ensures freshness and purity of fruit, where vessels such as the amphora and concrete egg build texture and enhance mineral notes in the wine.

Kleine Zalze wines are marked by a classical structure and complexity matched by a vibrant flavour intensity. Discernibly South African in style, they are refreshing, beautifully balanced and well-suited to food. Our wines are made according to traditional methods with minimal cellar intervention, but supported by modern equipment.