Brookdale Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022

Subtly keyed; restrained aromatics of pear skin, honeycomb and golden citrus. Just a hint of pastry cream and toast. The palate is deep, dense and concentrated. Fleshy and generous, tempered by a stony acidity sewn through the layers and layers of flavour. Yellow apples, kumquat and peaches sing. The chalky texture is the background music, giving ballast to all those curves. The savoury finish calls in the wax of the nose, the echo of the radiant fruit.

The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a cool season before harvest, followed by a sudden temperature spike from January onwards. Good vineyard practices were followed, and canopies were managed well, which delivered exceptional grape analyses and quality. Temperatures rose sharply during the beginning of January and this accelerated the early cultivars’ ripening dates. However, we harvested more than a week later than in the previous year. Frequent high temperatures during February further contributed to the harvest dates shifting sooner, but harvesting returned to normal timing by the end of February.

Decomposed granite and shale.

From old vine Chenin Blanc (1985) grown on decomposed shale and granite; minimal winemaking was employed to allow this stony terroir to shine through. The grapes were hand-picked at different stages to achieve optimal ripeness and balance. The fruit was pre-cooled and gently whole- bunch pressed before spontaneous fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation for added elegance, and complexity. Matured for 11 months in 500L French oak barrels, the wine was then aged on the lees for eight months in 2000L Stockinger foudres. Once bottled, the wine was left to mature for a further six months before release.