False Bay Slow Chenin Blanc 2025

False Bay "Slow" Chenin Blanc, Coastal Region, South Africa, 2025    

Grape: 100% Chenin Blanc, old bush vines, sustainable farming, hand harvested, wild yeast ferment, minimal intervention winemaking (only adding sulphur at bottling), aged on lees for 10 months, unoaked

Producer Tasting Note: 

Ripe citrus and green plum fruit on the nose, with lightly bready aromas and notes of dried herbs including fennel and aniseed. Good concentration of zesty fruit with a creamy lemon character offset by taught acidity. The finish is long with great textural complexity, attributable to the long, slow, wild yeast fermentation.

Winemaking: The grapes for False Bay Slow Chenin Blanc stem from old bush vines in the coastal region. Old vines are key to making stand-out chenin. These old vines produce naturally low yields and retain good acidity despite being warmer and less windswept than Stellenbosch, so cooler, coastal Atlantic winds are less of a necessity for these gnarly old vines. Made by Waterkloof's talented young Cellarmaster Nadia Langenegger. Balanced grapes are hand harvested, fermented spontaneously with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks and then left on lees for a minimum of ten months before bottling. No additions other than sulphur as a preservative. Grown, made and bottled in South Africa. Vegan friendly wine, sustainably farmed and naturally crafted.

A consistent medal winner over many previous vintages!

Food Match: A versatile wine equally well suited to partner lobster and other seafood, risotto or herb roast chicken. Can also handle spice very well