Old Vine Series. Sadie has been working with Chenin off this “truly incredible” granite vineyard at the foot of Bothmaskop Mountain in Stellenbosch’s Jonkershoek Valley since 2006. With most of the vines planted between 1905 and 1920, the mere one hectare (belonging to Mrs Kirsten and her family) is recognised as the oldest Chenin Blanc in South Africa. Due to the age of the vines, Sadie has been interplanting mass-selection cuttings to prolong the vineyard's life, though the younger vines are vinified separately. In time, the younger fraction will also be included in the blend.
Eben describes this hyper-rare wine as his most powerful and structured Chenin Blanc, juxtaposing silky elegance with immense texture, density and power. It ferments in an old foudre with lots of solids and is bottled unfiltered after 12 months of aging. Eben urges clients to give this wine the benefit of time in the bottle, noting it needs a decade to reveal its full potential. If you can’t wait, a decanter will help! A 2018 that was recently tasted was pure box office; the new release looks cut from the same cloth.