Artisanal effect and a fashion tsunami lift chenin quality
Red wine drinkers are probably tired of hearing that the Cape’s white wines generally outperform the reds in international competitions. While this was an absolute rule a decade ago, it’s much less evident now.
Better value will probably still be found among SA’s white wines, though this is partly a function of pricing. All other things being equal, whites trade at about a 20% discount to the reds. There are some pretty neat whites from about R50 a bottle upwards; at R80-R100 you’re spoilt for choice.
With reds you’re likely to find something worth drinking for R60, with the “sweet spot” at R120-R160.
On the local wine scene there has been a quality surge in the chenin blanc category.
With most of SA’s older vineyards planted to what was once the country’s standby grape, there’s no shortage of quality chenin fruit for avantgarde producers to source for their increasingly edgy cuvées.
Small-batch production, handcrafted winemaking and something of a chenin fashion tsunami have all contributed to this boom, which has led to a marked increase in the average on-shelf bottle price.
This doesn’t mean you’re compelled to pay more. At a recent tasting I scored the 2018 Protea Chenin a more than respectable 88 points. It sells for the princely sum of R60.
Both of the Marras chenins retail at less than R100. Cross the R100 threshold and you’re still getting excellent value — it’s just that the wines are no longer “cheap and cheerful”.
At about R120 a bottle (and 90 points tasted blind) the 2017 Kleine Zalze is pitch-perfect and harmonious, with a little bit of everything — nutty, succulent, hints of dried apricots, made slightly creamy by thoughtful oaking.
The Glen Carlou Swartland 2018, which also scored 90 points, delivers a weighty yet still nuanced wine for less than R150. The same money buys the same score for the Delaire Graff. The chief difference lies in the minerality and intensity of the Delaire Graff, which is stonier and less plush.
Also scoring 90 is the Cederberg Five Generations 2016, which finished in the top 10 of the Standard Bank Chenin Challenge.
A quick review of the laureates of this annual competition shows that most of the results could have been easily predicted: David Nieuwoudt at Cederberg has been making intense, very pure chenins for at least 20 years.
He shares the podium in 2018 with Carl van der Merwe at DeMorgenzon, whose 2017 Reserve was a Standard Bank winner, as well as a gold medallist at the 2018 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
Jean Daneel is also there with his Signature 2016. About 20 years ago he won the Wine Magazine Chenin Challenge.
His expertise and commitment played a key role in the early stages of the chenin renaissance.
The Spier 21 Gables Chenin 2017 is also among the Standard Bank’s top 10. The 2015 was judged best wine on show at Veritas in 2017, and the 2016 won the chenin trophy at the Old Mutual in 2018. It’s hardly a surprise to see it among the top 10 winners.
I was very pleased to see Tertius Boshoff’s Stellenrust 53 Barrel Fermented in the same august company: it is consistently one of the country’s best white wines.
There are no real surprises in this line-up, and the presence of the Leopard’s Leap Cullinaria (a bargain at R90) should not be seen as a judging glitch, but a tribute to the extraordinary value inherent in Cape chenin, and in the Cullinaria range.