21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2021
This delicious wine comes from dryland vines. The oldest parcel is 37 years of age. At one point, the vines were going to be uprooted. Luckily, we recognised their potential and resurrected the vineyard. That’s why I call it the ‘Lazarus’ vineyard - such vine maturity draws a beautiful and focused expression of terroir into the wine. It continues to reward us vintage after vintage.
- Johan Jordaan, Cellar Master, Spier
COLOUR, NOSE & PALATE
Pale lemon gold at a glance, this is a gloriously fresh and pure style of Chenin Blanc. Upfront ripe, juicy peach and pear fruit aromas are balanced with notes of dried apricot and a lick of oak spice. The palate is youthful but wonderfully luscious, refreshed by mouth-watering acidity and a lingering fruit core finish that provides complexity and texture.
EAT & DRINK
Delicious with crisp, caramelised pork belly, duck breast with fynbos honey and spices, or smoked West Coast mussels. For a lighter pairing, enjoy with a flavourful vegetable Korma curry.
ANALYSIS:
Alc: | 14.51 % vol | TA: | 6.2 g/L |
RS: | 4.8 g/L | pH: | 3.43 |
VINEYARD & TERROIR
The fruit for this wine is hand-picked from a 37-year-old vineyard planted in the hills of Tygerberg near Cape Town. Our philosophy is to guide the wine to reflect the terroir, and this terroir is an old soul. As a result, we toil the land gently. The cool ocean breeze helps to temper the heat so the berries can enjoy a longer hang time. At the same time, the ancient Malmesbury shale provides the opportunity for dryland farming to achieve the highest quality fruit possible.
WINEMAKING
At harvest, the grapes were picked in 4 parcels in late February at a yield of approximately 8 tonnes per hectare. This partial picking was done to select the grapes at different ripeness levels, encouraging complexity. The grapes were hand-harvested in 8kg lug boxes and pre-cooled before hand-sorting, destemming and crushing. Skin contact was limited to 6 hours, and the free-run juice drained off to settle overnight before inoculation. Fermentation took place in a combination of 300L, 400L, 500L and 2500L tight-grain French-oak barrels. We use different oak barrel sizes to add varying levels of oak influence that can then be skillfully blended for the final wine. I think of this wine as a single varietal made like a blend. The Chenin Blanc then matured for 14 months in barrels - 60% new oak, with the balance being second fill.
This wine has received Control Union Vegan Standard certification by the accredited certifying body Control Union.
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