Vanessa

9.1

Cheers to old-vine Chenin Blanc from South Africa! 🇿🇦 In South Africa, Chenin Blanc also goes by the name “Steen.”

It’s such a versatile grape and wine, capable of producing beautiful sweet, dry, still, and sparkling wines.

This wine is still and dry. We’ve paired it with sushi and it’s a delightful duet.

The grapes for this wine were grown organically in the Citrusdal Mountain district, north of Cape Town, west of the Olifants River, on the Western Cape. The bush vines were originally planted in 1957 (old!!), contributing to an intensity and a concentration of primary aromas and flavors in the grapes.

Indeed, the nose and palate offer medium(+) aromas and flavors of ripe pear, yellow apple, white peach, vegetal, boxwood, white blossom, crushed stone, and aged cheese rind notes. Lively acidity gives it lift and balances the high alcohol and intensity of fruit.

This wine was produced by Ginny Povall, American-born proprietor and self-taught winemaker of Botanica Wines. I love the botanical images on her labels, each an homage to the flower farm on which she began her wine production journey in South Africa.   

Botanica Wines, Chenin Blanc (Mary Delany Collection), 2019, ABV 14%. — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Ellen Clifford

8.9

WOW. Loved. And the people I was serving at a South African event loved. It is sturdy. This wine will support you. And not go away. It will feed you all the fresh red plums and raisins you need to stay healthy. Then such juiciness at large and then it will wave air on you ( in the name of medium acid and 14% abv alcohol) to keep you chill. Essentially this wine is a side piece. Keep it in your life boo, — 6 years ago

Marc Ludvig Vavra

9.0

Very good Syrah! — 4 years ago

with D

Dominique Jones

9.1

Absolutely lovely unexpected orange wine (with the green bottle I thought it was a white). Interesting minerality. Dry on the palate. — 6 years ago

Frieda Lloyd

9.5

2006 Tiekhoek Straw Wine! Excellent! Apparently Neil Martin loved this wine. — 10 years ago

Marty Winters

9.7

The ridged mountain, Chenin Blanc from 80 year old vineyards in the olifants river region. — 10 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.4

Alheit Magnetic North. Born from own rooted vines cultivated at high altitude in the Skurfberg viticultural area in Olifants River Region, carefully nurtured by the critically acclaimed Chris and Suzaan Alheit of Alheit Vineyards. This Chenin Blanc is absolutely outstanding, tight at first but let it breath and it will sucks out the air of the room, pronounced and dense aromas with ripe fruit profile with a multifaceted complexity and a crushed stone foundation. A broad postured palate with a pulsing fatigue a fresh acidic spine and a long and evolving finish is bringing this treasure all the way to the end zone.
Another proof of the what the renaissance of South African Wine is all about. — 5 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.4

Reductive with a nice bruised golden apple and dried pear profile. Sweet almond and honeysuckle. Impressive. — 6 years ago

Matt Salzberg

9.0

Almost brandy flavor to it — 10 years ago

Justine Campbell

9.7

Buttery smooth, intense stone fruit, off dry — 11 years ago