Damascene Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2022 - Damascene Vineyards

Goes well with mackerel escabeche with radish, buttermilk and coriander oil

South African Chenin Blanc can be expressed in so many ways that a blend is, in a sense, the only way to meet them all. Damascene Stellenbosch Old Vine Chenin Blanc is a blend of grapes from three vineyards in the Bottelary region: Sonop, Houmoed and Mooiplaas. All three locations are located on hills. The Sonop block was planted in 1982 on a slate slope at the northeast end of the mountain range. It contributes to the minerality, severity and acidic feel of the finished wine. The extremely steep western slope of Houmoed is planted with old bush vines that were planted in the Greywacke soils. These old vines (planted in 1972) contribute to the intensive concentration of the component. Finally, we farm a block at the very top of Mooiplaas, with views of False Bay and Table Bay. This vineyard was planted in 1980 on a granite rock strewn with boulders. The cool, west-facing slope gives the finished wine liveliness and freshness. The grapes were harvested by hand from February 5 to March 4, 2021 at 21.8 - 22.8 °C Oechsle and refrigerated overnight at 8 °C. In the cellar, all grapes were sorted and pressed using a gentle champagne cycle. No enzymes were added during pressing and only a small amount of sulfur was used throughout the winemaking process. The fruits from the individual vineyards were fermented and aged separately, and it is only at the final assemblage that it is decided how much of each component goes into the final wine. A small portion of the fruit was fermented on the skins to increase grip and complexity. The rest of the grapes were pressed and the juice was allowed to settle overnight. No commercial yeasts were added during fermentation, as only local yeasts were used to make our wines. After about 30% of fermentation, the must was transferred to 1000-liter oval Austrian oak barrels, in which it matured for 11 months. This wine has a truly outstanding natural acidity, so we avoided malolactic transformation as this would only serve to disguise that shine. We also did not use a batonnage (for the same reason).

Allergy information: Contains sulfites