Chenin Blanc 2018

Sun drenched hay, Geraldton wax, lime pith, pink grapefruit, nashi pear, fennel, hints of aniseed and liquorice, white pepper, juniper berry, nougat, crushed pistachio, ripe apricot and red apple skins. The acidity is intense, forming a rigid tent pole on the mid-palate from which the fruit hangs. The texture is almost viscose and silky (owing to monthly batonage for 10 months while in barrel), with an ever-so slight grip through the finish. This is built with ageing in mind and has all the concentration and acidity that it needs to go the distance.

The intention for our estate Chenin Blanc was to work with the naturally high acid and distinctive flavour profile endemic to the Chenin blanc grape and amplify that via the use of large format, old oak vessels.  Batonage (lees stirring) for an extended ten month period, helped to encourage the complexity of those fruit and spice characters to blossom, resulting in a Chenin that goes beyond the simple purity of a tank fermented wine, and moves it into a space well suited to food and further cellaring.