As in the Loire, Cape Chenin appears in a variety of guises, encompassing dry to sweet and still to sparkling styles. The Chenin Blanc Association has identified several key styles, classified as follows:
- fresh & fruity (less than 9 g/l residual sugar);
- rich & ripe unwooded (less than 9 g/l residual sugar);
- rich & ripe wooded (less than 9 g/l residual sugar);
- rich, ripe & slightly sweet (between 9 and 30 g/l residual sugar);
- sweet (more than 30 g/l residual sugar); and
- sparkling (tank fermented or Cap Classique).
These terms don’t appear on labels, but it gives you an idea of the range produced in the Cape and you can find out a good deal more about Cape Chenin on the Chenin Blanc Association’s website here.
Based on my 2004 Chenin research project, lower yielding old vine fruit is key to fine Chenin. It has better concentration, depth of flavour and balance. Cooler sites also help with balance and length. While oaked styles were really making their mark back then, today winemakers are using bigger barrels, less new oak and more lees-ageing in a bid to produce more refined styles, all to good effect. Here are my highlights from the London Wine Fair (May) and Imbibe (July) 2010:
Ken Forrester Petit Chenin 2009 (Stellenbosch) – fresh & fruity. A spicy nose and palate with juicy apples, pears and white peach. Nice balance and weight for a fresh and fruity style. (Imbibe)
SAAM Mountain Vineyards 2009 (Paarl) – rich, ripe, unwooded. Richly textured and characterful with ripe tropical fruit and spicy aniseed to the finish. Plenty of bang for buck. (Imbibe)
Mooi Bly 2009 (Paarl) – rich, ripe, unwooded – aged on the lees for 4 months. It shows really good typicity with honeysuckle, peach and juicy lychee. Made from the fruit of vines averaging 30 years old its well balanced. Good plus.
Kleine Zalze Bush Vine 2009 (Stellenbosch) – rich, ripe, unwooded. Candy floss, pink grapefruit and ripe, rosy apples make for a sweet but not saccharine wine, again it’s nicely balanced. Just a touch of coarseness on the finish, which I’ve not detected on previous tastings. Good.
Cederberg 2009 (Cederberg) – rich, ripe, unwooded – located at around 1000m, Cederberg’s Chenin is always a cool customer. Bright, fresh style with honeyed pink and white grapefruit; well concentrated with good length. Very good.
Mulderbosch Steen Hout Op 2009 (Stellenbosch) – rich, ripe, unwooded. With around 8g/l of residual sugar, this is off dry, though its tangy appley fruit is balanced by fresh acidity. Good plus.
Ormonde Estate Ondine Chenin Blanc 2009 (Darling) – rich, ripe, unwooded. Aged several months on the lees, this has a leesy funky nose, but there’s lovely fresh, bright gingery fruit beneath and, in the mouth, the lees lend texture and layer. Very good.
Mooiplas Bush Vine 2009 (Bottelary, Stellenbosch) - rich, ripe, unwooded. I visited Bottelary in 2004 for my Chenin Blanc study project. It’s breezy slopes are well suited to Chenin and it boasts old bush vine material. This single vineyard wine is made from 37 year old vines located at 280m on a western slope. It shows honeyed orchard (as opposed to tropical) fruit salad flavours, silkily delivered – lovely texture. Very good.
Rudera 2008 (Stellenbosch) – rich & ripe wooded. This label, founded by Chenin supremo Teddy Hall, was run by his wife these last couple of years until it was recently sold to Hartland Wyne. The wines are now made by another Chenin supremo’s brother – Bruwer Raats’ sibling Jasper. This comes from 4 parcels in cooler sites within Stellenbosch: Bottelary Hills (De Bois and Roos), one in the Polkadraai (Joubert) and the fourth in the Helderburg area (Bredell). It tastes slightly sweeter than usual and has 3.2g/rs, but it retains Rudera’s hallmark honeyed apple (golden delicous) and quince. Long, well balanced. Very good.
Rudera Robusto 2008 (Stellenbosch) – rich & ripe, wooded and slightly sweet (17g/l). Traditionally sweeter than the former, it shows ripe, sweet pink grapefruit, lovely, pure and sorbet-like, with a lick of ginger. Long and with a vibrant vein of acidity to keep it in check. Very good and its sweetness a perfect pairing for char grilled squid and chilli.
Kanu KCB 2006 (Stellenbosch) – rich & ripe wooded. A creamy, rich style, quite a smoothie with citrus fruit salad and a veneer of oak. Not as subtle as others but well made. Good.
Simonsig Avec Chene Chenin Blanc 2008 (Stellenbosch) - rich, ripe and wooded. A silky palate with white peach and pear fruit, honey and flowers. Long and persistent, very well balanced. A poised wine. (Imbibe)
Ken Forrester FMC 2008 (Stellenbosch) – rich & ripe, wooded and slightly sweet (12.8g/l). Ripe with a wealth of honeyed, tropical fruit (guava) and ripe, poached pears but it’s well balanced. Very good.
Ken Forrester Noble Late Harvest T 2008 (Stellenbosch) – sweet and with rather more than 30g/l residual sugar – 154g/l! Not made every year, this is a toothsome, concentrated, botrytised sweetie with ripe apricot and exotic sweet mandarin fruit, buttered popcorn and maple syrup. Lively citrussy acidity maintains balance and line. (Imbibe)
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
(Wines tasted at LIWF 20 May 2010 & at Imbibe 15 July 2010)
