Simonsig Chenin Avec Chêne 2017

The wine displays a light straw colour with a limpid appearance. Floral and fresh citrus aromas are followed by undertones of white peach. The palate is filled with concentrated layers of nectarines and lemon tart, with a fresh mineral finish. Subtle oak adds structure and complexity to this beautifully balanced Chenin Blanc.

This is a true gastronomic wine and works wonderfully with plainly grilled fish or chicken to piquant ripe creamy cheeses like Epoisse or Dalewood Winelands Camembert. Do not over chill - serve at 14 - 16°C.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]
winemaker : Johan Malan
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 13.43 % vol  rs : 2.3 g/l  pH : 3.65  ta : 6.5 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : At its best within 3 – 4 years of vintage date.

Simonsig Chenin Blanc was the first wine released by founder Frans Malan in 1968. The experience of more than four decades of working with Chenin resulted in this new wine. We realised that Chenin grown on weathered shale gives the most intense perfumed fruit. Gently handled oak enhances the depth of flavour without obscuring the delicious fruitiness. The name means "Chenin with oak".

in the vineyard : The 2017 vintage was a challenging one that led to a smaller, but very promising harvest for the Stellenbosch region. The dry warm weather produced grapes with small berries with great fruit intensity. The cooler nights and warmer days during the ripening period resulted in grapes with excellent colour and fruit formation. The Chenin Blanc 2017 did not disappoint, we were delighted with the quality and intense fruit spectrum from the various blocks. We selected a few blocks that we picked earlier to obtain the natural acidity of the wine and then there were blocks that we pushed for optimal ripeness to capture the broad fruit spectrum.

about the harvest: Grapes were all hand-picked and well sorted from our oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard (1968).

in the cellar : Grapes from our oldest Chenin Vineyard (1986) was harvested at four different stages of ripeness to capture the complete spectrum of the Chenin Blanc flavours. It was left on the skins overnight at low temperature to extract all the flavours and concentrated sugars. After a year on the fermentation lees in a combination of 400L and 225 L seasoned French oak barrels the wine came together with delicious layered fruit and rich depth of flavour. Battonage was done to enhance mouthfeel while MLF was prevented.

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc