WATERKLOOF CHENIN BLANC 2021

THE JOURNEY

Seventeen years ago we made a first wine deemed worthy of the Waterkloof label. A Sauvignon Blanc from a mature and rather special little block of vines atop The Schapenberg made the grade.

During the intervening years, with the hard-work and ingenuity of Christiaan Loots and his dedicated team, vast improvements have been made to the health of our vineyards and their surrounding eco-system, from being named one of South Africa’s first WWF Conservation Champions to converting Waterkloof into an organic, regenerative farm. Yet the wait for a second Waterkloof wine went on, with a few agonisingly near-misses along the way.

We’ve always believed that truly special things shouldn’t be rushed though and were convinced that with the continued maturity of our highest, oldest chenin block, it was only one great vintage away from becoming Waterkloof wine number two. 2021 was the year and Nadia Langenegger, alongside her brilliant cellar team brought the grapes home with distinction.

So, good things really do come to those who wait (eventually) and as we finally get to share our second Waterkloof wine with you all, please have confidence that while it will offer great enjoyment in its youth, Waterkloof Chenin Blanc 2021 -just like it’s Sauvignon Blanc counterpart- will reward cellaring for a decade…or more…maybe even seventeen years. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait that long for number three.

A short film on the outstanding 2021 vintage –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tInrQUHR5Qk

THE VINEYARD

– Size: 1.75 hectares (single block)
– Ocean Proximity: 5km
– Altitude: 300mExposure: East
– Windspeed: Hectic
– Soil: Compacted Sandstone (18% stone)
– Farming: Organic & Regenerative with no irrigation
– Vine Training: Bush Vine (stake-by-vine for support in wind)
– Yield: Grapes – 4tons/hectare        Wine – 33hl/hectare

THE CELLAR

– Hand-picked and hand-sorted
– Whole bunch pressed for purest juice
– Wild yeast ferment in old 600l French oak barrels
– 10 months on lees without stirring
– No additions other than sulphur
– 4386 bottles made

THE NUMBERS

ALC: 14%

RS: 5 g/l

PH: 3.5

TA: 4.6 g/l

NADIA LANGENEGGER’S TASTING NOTE

This wine offers a complex nose showing quince, white peach and yellow apple, with a hint of fennel that gives it more depth alongside the minerality on the palate. The wine lingers with hints of ripe apricot and honey.