CHENIN BLANC

Versatile, dependable excellence

Chenin Blanc has a long history in South Africa, being amongst the first grape cultivars brought here by Jan van Riebeeck when he landed here in 1652, tasked with establishing a refreshment station for the European ships passing around Africa on their way east to trade in spices. In those days it was called Steendruif, which later became Steen but which is now called Chenin Blanc, acknowledging its French origin, probably in the region of Anjou and later in the Loire Valley.

In the 18th and 19th century the prolific Chenin Blanc grape was largely distilled for brandy but in the latter half of the 20th century some very famous wines were made from the fruity Chenin. Lieberstein, a semi-sweet white, was first launched in 1959 and quickly became the world’s largest selling bottled wine of the time, a whopping 31 million litres in 1964.

Another historically famous Chenin Blanc wine is Nederburg Edelkeur, a noble late harvest developed by the famous Nederburg winemaker Günter Brözel which has been selling for top prices at auctions for decades.

By 1988, Chenin accounted for 33.2% of the national vineyard in terms of the area covered and probably higher than that in terms of volume of wine produced, and it was the basis of many high-volume wine brands. High yields and mediocre wine quality tarnished Chenin Blanc’s image, and it was widely uprooted in favour of the more fashionable white cultivars such as Chardonnay. 

However, there remained a coterie of diehard Chenin Blanc fans who were determined to establish this historic cultivar as a producer of wines of remarkable character and quality. They established the Chenin Blanc Association in 2000 and later the Chenin Blanc Challenge in 2014 encouraging winemakers to produce the best Chenin Blancs possible.

The Bosmans’ love affair with Chenin Blanc

“Chenin Blanc is über drinkable, unmatched in its food-friendliness and it can be made to be happy every day drinking wines, to expressive and special wines. I’m totally smitten with Chenin.”

• Corlea Fourie, Bosman winemaker

With enthusiasm like this, no wonder half of the entire Bosman farm is planted to Chenin Blanc. This cultivar thrives in the warm, dry climate of Wellington, particularly in the decomposed granite soils of the Bovlei along the foothills of the Groenberg mountain where the original Bosman farm is situated. With all these grapes to choose from, the Bosman Family Vineyards cellar team makes three Chenin Blanc wines.

The Generation 8 Chenin Blanc is an ‘any time’ wine, an absolute crowd-pleaser and one to be enjoyed regularly. Two components of this Chenin Blanc are worth noting: firstly, a small component was made by drying the grapes on wooden racks in the sun for a week before pressing and fermenting. This component does add a small amount of residual sugar to the wine, but it primarily adds to the generosity of flavour. The second notable component is that of skin contact, which adds texture and structure to the wine.

This wine has a complex fruit-driven, multi-layered nose with primary aromas of white peach and secondary aromas of stewed apple and pleasing traces of jasmine following through to a beautiful, textured palate with a crisp, clean, but lingering finish. This multi-faceted wine will complement an array of dishes from creamy marinara pasta to salad niçoise, grilled fish and lemon-roasted chicken. You should always have a bottle or two in your fridge to open when guests pop over unexpectedly.

Next up is the Adama white blend. This predominantly Chenin blend is combined with Grenache, Vermentino and Viura, each component being aged in French oak for four months before being blended. The wine exhibits restrained aromas of perfumed white flower, apple and ginger with a flinty finish following through to generous flavours of stone fruit, a crisp acidity and a well-rounded mouthfeel. Tuna tartare, creamy carbonara or a fresh watermelon salad sprinkled with feta would be great partners.

We’ve walked a long and lovely road with our single vineyard Optenhorst Chenin Blanc. In 2007 we saved it from being uprooted, just to give this ancient vineyard a chance to express itself on its own, and we were astounded at the wine’s depth of character and complexity of flavour. Ever since, year after year, we’ve sensitively tweaked our winemaking technique to bring out the very best of this gracious ‘grande dame’ vineyard planted in 1952.

The Optenhorst Chenin Blanc has won prizes galore vintage after vintage, one being for the 2013 Optenhorst which, at the Investec Trophy Wine Show in 2023, was awarded the trophy for Best Museum Class Chenin Blanc, showing the wine’s excellent ageing potential.

The 2019 Optenhorst Chenin Blanc won two awards at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show: the Harold Eedes Trophy for the Best Chenin Blanc on show; and the inaugural Rose Kruger Trophy for the Best Old Vine Wine, but the vintage also won a Gold Medal at the Global Wine Challenge and scored an impressive 94 points in the Tim Atkin Report.

The current 2022 vintage was awarded five stars in the Platter Guide while the soon to be released 2023 was given a rating of 95 points in the Tim Atkin Report.

As the third oldest Chenin vineyard in the country and a certified Old Vine (OVP) wine, we endeavour to let the wine express its unique heritage which involves natural fermentation, as well as maturation in older barrels for a short period for minimal wood impact but just enough to allow the gentle, multi-layered fruit to flourish.

The grapes originated from a single vineyard site called ‘Gesamelike Wei’ which translated means common pasture. As the vineyard is on the way up to the Bainskloof Pass, where herders and pioneers would have travelled over for centuries, it is interesting to think of the many hooves and feet that have trampled this ground, perhaps contributing to its excellent terroir. 

The original farm where this vineyard is planted was first granted in 1699 and is called Optenhorst meaning ‘on the ridge’. So, its location catches the prevailing winds which naturally restrict the yield of these bush vines planted in weathered granite soils. The vineyard is farmed regeneratively to retain its authenticity.

To make this unique wine, the winemaker prepares a ‘pied de cuve’ to initiate natural fermentation. This ensures spontaneous fermentation of the grapes harvested a few days later. The natural yeasts enhance the unique flavours of the grapes from that site and sensitive vinification, with thoughtful but minimal intervention, allows for the best and truest expression of this unique Old Vine vineyard. The grapes were hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, settled overnight and then the clear juice was drawn off in the morning.

Spontaneous fermentation occurred in both a concrete egg and Louis Latour Burgundian oak barrels. The wine is allowed to mature in bottle for at least another year.

On the nose this Chenin Blanc exudes enticing aromas of ripe orchard fruit. Hints of toasted almonds, fresh ginger and a delicate vanilla presence are intensely rewarding.

The palate is beautifully balanced with a luscious mouthfeel that showcases flavours of honeyed peaches and stewed apricots. The carefully considered oak maturation has resulted in a velvety creaminess offset by a lively salinity from the portion matured in the concrete egg. 

A great match for this full-flavoured wine would be seared scallops, creamy chicken pasta with wild mushrooms, confit duck or creamy vegetables ‘en croute’. Crème brulée is a wild card option.

Judging by the success of the 2013 vintage, this wine should age well for 15 years if cellared correctly.

There are other single site Chenin Blanc vineyards on the Bosman farm, so who knows, maybe one day there will be another award-winning Chenin from this wine producer. Similarly, there are several other excellent Chenins produced in Wellington and other warmer regions of the Cape Winelands. 

So don’t delay, get your drinking cap on and start tasting, you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of flavours and styles that the humble Chenin Blanc grape can produce.

Cheers!