Vondeling Babiana Noctiflora 2005

An enormously complex nose with hints of ginger and orange blossom, packed with peaches, pears, some honey and an underlying minerality with subtle touches of well-balanced oak.

The mid-palate is very rich, almost waxy, but still tight, with some crisp, red grape fruit flavours and a long, juicy lingering aftertaste.

Grilled fish, preferably without a heavy sauce. Creamy Thai dishes or chicken flambé pasta, possibly followed by soft Italian cheeses.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ 65% Chenin Blanc, 20% Viognier, 15% Chardonnay ]

winery : Vondeling Wines

winemaker : Matthew Copeland

wine of origin : Voor Paardeberg, Paarl

analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol rs : 4.5 g/l pH : 3.5 ta : 6.1 g/l va : 0.57 g/l so2 : 108 mg/l fso2 : 35 mg/l

type : White wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

in the vineyard : The Chenin blanc grapes are from a 25-year-old dryland vineyard, aptly named Graveyard Chenin after the historic grave it encompasses. Yields are typically below 6 tons/hectare. The Viognier and Chardonnay blocks are younger but well exposed on a south-facing slope.

The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness, showing flavours of ripe melons and quince. Chenin blanc is undoubtedly the white grape variety best suited to this area, with Viognier a close step behind. Their suitability is highly evident and clearly expressed by the quality of the wines they produce.

about the harvest: The grapes were picked only in the cool, early hours of the morning and then packed into a cold room to be chilled down further for processing the following day.

in the cellar : The grapes were tipped directly into the press, thereby eliminating pumping of the mash and preventing the extraction of undesired phenolics or astringency. The fruit was then whole bunch pressed. Whole bunch pressing retains natural acidity and promotes rapid, clean juice extraction. The clear juice was transferred directly to 500-litre French oak barrels for fermentation. Some 40% of the wine was fermented spontaneously, ie no pure yeast culture was added. Although a nerve-racking process, this method promotes complexity and results in multi-layered wines.

The wine was kept on the yeast lees for at least 7 months and a high degree of malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously. This malolactic fermentation promoted rich, buttery flavours. The sumptious consists of 65% Chenin Blanc, 20% Viognier and 15% Chardonnay. The wine spent a total of 12 months in oak before being blended and bottled.

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Vondeling Babiana Noctiflora 2005

Chenin Blanc

Matthew Copeland