Straw in colour with hint of green. Bouquet of lime, fuitsalad of summer fruit and some vanilla. The palate is rich and full of flavour with honeyed dried fruit indicating some botrytis. Good crisp acid balances the sweet fruit flavours. A taut yet big wine with structure, texture and length.
The 2002 vintage were winner of the 2005 Wine Chenin Challenge with ****(*) and one of first three wines in South Africa to achieve SUPER CHENIN status from the Chenin Blanc Association based on constant high quality. The 2004 vintage is one of only two wines who received this honour for the third time.At the 2004 Rendez-vous du Chenin in Loire, the 2002 Robusto Chenin blanc was voted as part of the best expressions of Chenin blanc in the world.
ageing :
Drinking exceptionally well now and will gain in intricacy over the next four years.
These Chenin blanc vineyards are situated on the foot of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. The bush vines were planted on broken shale in 1979 and are fully mature. Canopy management of the vines ensured natural high acidity and full flavour concentration. No irrigation is available and the yield was 6,5 ( 35,7hl/ha - only free-run juice used) tons per hectare.
The grapes were handpicked in the early morning from old bush vines at 25.5º Balling. The yield was 6,5 ( 35,7hl/ha - only free-run juice used) tons per hectare, with an acid of 8,5 g/l and a pH of 3,2. A total of 100x6x750ml was made.
The grapes were lightly crushed and the free-run juice was allowed to settle for 48 hours. Natural yeast was used in making this wine. The clear juice with the fluffy lees was then fermented in 225-l (50% new and the rest 2nd and 3rd fill) French barriques.Fermentation took place in a 14ºC cellar, but actual fermentation temperatures were not monitored. Robusto Chenin blanc matured in barrel for twelve months on the lees; thereafter it was racked, lightly filtered and bottled without being stabilized.
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