Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc
Orpheus, never look back!
While Orpheus could bend the world to his will, and charm all living things with music and song, he could not convince the Raven to reveal to him the Light.
The Light that would allow him to see the past and the future at once, so that he could understand the present. As he watched the cunning Raven dancing to his musical charms, the bird cried: "Orpheus, never look back!" revealing to him glimpses of light hidden in plain sight behind the darkness of his raised wings.
Vinification
47-year-old Bush Vines
Amongst the unique features of the Old Bush Vines Chenin blanc, is the grapes from which it is made. The grapes were planted in 1973, making it two years older than the Vinoneers!
The 47-year-old bush vines are located in the Durbanville wine valley, part of the wine of Cape Town wine region.
The grapes were hand-picked during February 2020 in the cool morning hours at an average 23.5oBalling.
Subsequently sorted, de-stemmed, crushed, pressed and allowed to cold settle over two days. A portion of the juice was pumped to an amphora for a wild ferment, while the balance was inoculated and sent to barrel.
The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation in barrel, and spent a total of 12 months in maturation vessels.
The wine was bottled by a small scale bottling unit on 16 March 2021.
4032 bottles were produced.
Downloads
Tasting Notes
Hints of cedar spice ( from terroir as well as barrel maturation ) is a golden thread that runs through our Old Vine vintages.
The mouthfeel is luscious and rich, with a hint of sweetness due to an incomplete wild fermentation in the amphora.
The riper picking point and partial malolactic fermentation in barrel also contributed to palette weight.
A lingering aftertaste with vibrant acidity is a showcase of the natural concentration of old bush vine fruit.
Will drink well now and for the next 5 years.
