Passionate and enthusiastic winemaker at Steenberg Vineyards, J.D. Pretorius, presented a tasting of  top South African chenin blanc wines. 

Also known as steen locally, South Africa produces even more chenin blanc than France’s Loire Valley. It is used for everything from generic dry white wines to age-worthy premium wines to ambitious sweet wines to brandy. The typical flavours are of yellow apples, litchi, ripe pineapple, ripe melon and the grape has a natural high acidity. In the 1960’s in South Africa it was popularised in a blend with crouchen blanc known as Lieberstein which at the time was the largest selling bottled wine in the world.

Steenberg Vineyards winemaker J.D.Pretorius

In the Swartland wine district chenin blanc vines aged up to 100 years are being revived by progressive wine makers like Eben Sadie and Adie Badenhorst to name only two. JD explained that the wines from this fruit have structure and backbone showing the natural harmony of the vine without needing manipulation in the cellar.

A lovely example of this is Mrs Kirsten’s Old Vines 2006 released last year and made by Eben Sadie. The vineyard belonging to Mrs Kirsten had patches that are as old as 100 years and was of course, no longer viable. Eben persuaded her not to pull out the vines and the wine he made sold out at R824  ($110).  He plans to farm the vineyard for another 10 years.

A cross section of different Sout African chenin blanc styles of wine were tasted and they were:

Wildekrans Methode Cap Classique 2007

An all chenin, maiden bubbley with an explosive mousse.

Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2009

The 2008 vintage of this wine was the winner of the 2009 Chenin Challenge.

Beaumont Chenin Blanc 2009

Produced from old vines.

Graham Beck Gamekeeper’s Reserve Chenin Blanc 2009

This chenin delighted the tasting group as one of the best of the evening. Graham Beck Brut is said to be Michelle Obama’s favourite bubbley and was served to celebrate the US presidential election.

De Trafford Chenin Blanc 2008

Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2008

An impressive wine which was awarded 5 stars in the Platter’s South African Wines 2010.

Cederberg Five Generations 2007

At 1,200 meters above sea level, these are the highest vineyards in the Western Cape. The land has been farmed by five generations of David Niewoudt’s family. The winery has been a winner for 2 years running of a Decanter Award for the shiraz and has been awarded Waitrose Supplier of the Year for Innovative Farming.  This wine is one of the best of the evening.

Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2008

A delicious, barrell-fermented complex wine.

De Trafford 2008

The labels are designed by Rita Trafford, wife of David, internationally celebrated, artisanal wine maker.

Rijks Private Cellar 2007

An elegant wine which was part barrell fermented. Also a favourite of the tasting group.

Mulderbosch Steen Op Hout 2008

A mouth-filling with a dash of chenin blanc noble late harvest.

Raats 2005

Iconic, ambitious wine maker Bruwer Raats focuses on cabernet franc and chenin blanc. His cabernet franc has been rated in blind tastings as superior to Cheval Blanc 2004. Likewise his Chenin Blanc 2002 was favoured over two famous Loire wines.

Rudera Rubusto 2007

From a specialist chenin blanc producer, this wine is satisfying and complex.

Unusual varieties were the focus of this week’s The Wierd Ones themed tasting at Steenberg Vineyards where the spotlight was on blended wines which include Verdelho, a white grape grown throughout Portugal but with a small planting in Botriver, Walker Bay; Roussanne, a Rhone white grape;  Grenache noir, a Spanish red grape widely grown in Spain and France but with tiny plantings in South Africa; Clairette blanc, another French grape; Nebbiolo, a red grape from Piedmont, Italy and Carignan, a red grape not much respected in France but found in older, low-yielding vines in South Africa.

Adi Badenhorst, maverick winemaker extraordinaire, and more of a keeper of the lands than winemaker in the conventional sense, introduced a flight of mostly blended, complex, some intense, some aromatic, unusual wines some of which have a  base of chenin blanc grown on vines which are older than 40 years.

Adi Badenhorst

Adi and cousin, Hein, make wine in a once neglected cellar last used 70 years ago, Kalmoesfontein, in the Siebritskloof part of the Paardeberg mountain between Malmesbury and Wellington in the Swartland wine district where they are converting the lands to becoming organic.

Speaking of his blends, Adi explains that 5 or 6 different bush vine varieties could be harvested from 8, 10 or 15 old vineyard sites to make the final product.

The greater the number of varieties in the blend, the more complex the wine will be.

Sceptical of much touted “barrel selection wines”, Adi makes the point that this shows more faith in the coopers than in the fruit, and also impatience in expecting the wine to show it’s potential so soon. This was borne out when tasting the delectable, elegant AA Badenhorst 2007 blend of chenin blanc, roussanne, grenache blanc and gris, verdelho, colombar, viognier, chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon blanc.

Another factor in favour of vineyard selection is that the older the vines are, the greater the root surface area they have to take elements from the earth.

Other wines tasted were:

Feiteiras – Verdelho 2008 from Botriver, Walker Bay.

Steenberg – Semillon 2007 (Semillon being the first grape to be planted in the Constantia Valley)

A. A. Badenhorst Family Wines

Orangerie – Blend 2009 of chenin blanc, semillon viognier, chardonnay.

Roundstone Estate 2008 – Chenin blanc and grenache blend showing wonderful clarity of fruit.

Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2008 – Blend of chenin blanc, grenache blanc, clairette blanc,viognier, chardonnay and roussanne. Platter South African Wines 2010, Wine of the Year.

Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2007 – Chenin blanc, chardonnay, viognier.

AA Badenhorst 2007 – Roussanne, grenache blanc, clairette blanc, sauvignon blanc.

Steenberg Nebbiolo 2007 – Shows an increased cherry intensity with aging which can be as long as 30 years.

Annexkloof Malbec 2007 – Very intense, plummy, aromatic example.

Niepoort and Sadie Cape Charme 2008 – Carignan, Grenache, Tinta Barocca and Pinotage. Dirk Niepoort, 5th generation port producer from Douro, Portugal and Eben Sadie, award-winning Swartland winemaker.

Roundstone Shiraz 2008 – Small volume wine from shale soils.

Shiraz is the greatest red grape in the world. The Bordeauxlaise would love to put shiraz into their blends but they are only allowed to use malbec.

Orangerie 2009 – Shiraz, grenache, mouvedre.

Lammershoek Roulette 2006 – Shiraz, carignan, grenache, mouvedre, viognier.

AA Badenhorst 2006 – Shiraz, mouvedre, cinsaut.

Remember, they’re not wierd but they have been there for very long time and put together in interesting blends and styles, produce amazing textures.

There’s more to life than Bordeaux blends……..