Mooiplaas Houmoed Chenin Blanc 2019

The wine shows quince, apricot, peach, hints of honey, almonds and floral aromas which characterize a fresh and upfront nose. The palate has a good weight with some minerality and a long finish. Fruit and oak well balanced, a big wine with the typical wonderful mouthfeel of ripe Chenin blanc.

Grapes from the 2 ha Houmoed single vineyard, planted by NJ Roos in 1972. Dry land bush vine at 290 m above sea level on a lovely site in the Bottelary Hills overlooking both False Bay and Table Bay, on a south-west facing slope. (Note - the word Houmoed is Afrikaans for “to keep faith, or to persevere”). Training method: Bush vines

Oakleaf, high potential soil

The much needed rainfall during winter and a relatively cool summer provided ideal conditions for growth and ripening. An outstanding vintage for white grapes, no heat waves and low night temperatures together with a dry summer and some welcoming rain in February provided flavourful grapes with 5% botrytis. Three hours skin contact, juice cleaned by settling, fermented with different yeast strains and aged in barrel for 9 months.

9 months aged in 30% 1st fill, the balance 3rd and 4th fill oak (80% French and 20% Hungarian).