Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023

Name: Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023
Brand: Bellingham The Bernard Series
SKU: 51346

The wine is defined by its cool climate origins with multi layers of fruit and freshness. Prominently on the nose one notes straw, sweet, ripe stone fruit, pineapple, green apple and ripe lime with underlying cedarwood and sweet oak spice. The palate is crisp at entry with a burst of citrus and both white and yellow peach. Delicate ripe fruit sweetness is well-balanced with a lingering crisp acidity. Overall, a fruit forward and seamless wine with power and balance that will develop and drink well for many years from vintage

The perfect food wine, enjoyable throughout the year.

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variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]

winery : Bellingham Wines

winemaker : Ricardo Cloete

wine of origin : Coastal Region

analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol rs : 3 g/l pH : 3.54 ta : 5.73 g/l

type : White style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap

The Bernard Series was named after Bernard Podlashuk, maverick winemaker, and visionary co-founder of the Bellingham brand. Never satisfied with ordinary, he is recognised for his daring vision and unabated drive that helped place South African wine on the map. The legend of his tenacity and innovative flair lives on through the Bernard series, Bellingham’s premium range of hand-crafted wines.

in the vineyard : What is about an old vine that makes it so compelling? Its gnarled appearance only hints at some of the mystery. The story of many seasons weathered can only be truly appreciated in the multi-dimensional wines these resilient plants produce. The Bellingham Old Vine Chenin Blanc is one of the very first old vine focused wines in South Africa. This vineyard, planted in 1983 in the cool climate of Cape Town, is a rare and sought-after site in the area. The unirrigated single vineyard is planted on a combination of weathered shale and granite soils, on a low-yield, east-facing slope and cooled by sea breezes from Table Bay and False Bay.

in the cellar : When it comes to old vine wines, the vineyards should make the wine and not the winemaker. This wine undergoes meticulous vinification processes to preserve both fruit purity and essence of the fruit, allowing the terroir to express itself naturally without interference.

Harvesting of these old vines takes place in two phases. The first batch is destined as the "fruit or nose" component and is fermented naturally in 2500l older foudre for freshness and fruit development (36%). The later or riper harvested component ferments naturally in first (32%) and second-fill (32%) 300l French Oak barrels and fills out the palate of the wine.

Post fermentation, the wine is left on the lees and undergoes monthly bâtonnage until final tasting, blending and bottling about 10 months later.

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