Riverside Chenin Blanc 2020

Classic old vine Chenin blanc. Floral notes give way to youthful fruit aromas of naartjie or mandarin zest and fresh white pear. Fruit is lightly seasoned with toasted Sesame and spicy undertones. The palate is crisp and dry up front, with racy acidity and a long finish. White fruit notes follow through from the nose, and pear and granny smith apple flavours are most evident. After some time in the glass, it shows cumin and ginger spice with characteristic salinity and light texture on the finish.

This patchy old vineyard, at an elevation of 250m, delivers very low yields of incredible quality fruit year in and year out. Keermont Vineyards is 3-4 degrees cooler than Stellenbosch, mornings and evenings are always cool, even in Summer.

Planted in 1971, Riverside Chenin blanc is the oldest vineyard on Keermont. Soils on the banks of the upper Blaauwklippen River, in which the vines are planted, vary from sandy alluvial plains with river stone to red clay loam as one moves away from the river.

All grapes used in producing this wine are sourced from the Riverside vineyard on Keermont. Small parcels of grapes are selected according to optimal ripeness and harvested by hand. Fermentation is carried out by yeast which occurs naturally on the grape skins and in the winery. This wine was fermented and then spent a further 12 months maturing on the lees in seasoned French oak barrels (225L and 500L). Bottling was done by hand without filtration.

Drink now or 5-8 years from vintage.