Van Lill & Visser Chenin Blanc 2021

A subtle perfume nuance overlays the typical peach, nectarine fruit aromas along with a hint of hot, baked earth. Fresh, lively entry to the mouth, the wine is crisp and rewarding. It then continues to evolve, revealing creamy lees and oak notes which support and cradle the stone fruit and citrus typicity. Lovely mouthfeel. The harmony of the various elements is impressive with nothing overplayed. Complex and long with a lingering tail.

Basie van Lill of Arbeidsend has owned and worked these vineyards for decades. The vineyards share space with fynbos and Rooibos tea bushes while sheep also graze the land. These treasured old bush vines, planted without irrigation in 1983 on the well-drained sandy red soils of the Skurfberg Mountain, together with the area’s height above sea level and naturally low rainfall, produce small quantities of intense and balanced wines with a high natural acidity.

Hutton

The grapes were transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks and cooled overnight. Bunches were hand-sorted and whole-bunch pressed the following day and the juice settled overnight.

Higher rainfall saw the region recovering from a preceding challenging drought period. Favourable climatic conditions during the growing season, with early flowering and fruit set resulted in an early harvest. The low yields, moderate ripening conditions and healthy canopies delivered concentrated fruit with excellent structure and beautiful flavours.

Fermentation occurred spontaneously in both stainless steel (60%) and 2nd fill French oak barrels. The wine spent 12 months on the lees before being blended and bottled.