Ken Forrester, Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc, , Stellenbosch, South Africa 2021

We've had Chenin Blanc-based wines from the Loire in our Best In Show selection, but never yet a Chenin from the country with more of this variety planted than any rival nation: South Africa. That changed this year with this stylish Chenin from Stellenbosch. Gone was the sometimes over-fleshy, over-crafted style associated with ambitious Cape Chenins in the past. This pale gold, pure, fine-fruited wine hints at honey, spring flowers, pear and quince in its focussed, almost lacy aromas, while the palate is graceful and shapely, too, deftly balanced, and with a stony residuum that suggests deep-rooted old vines. An outstanding Chenin, in sum, perfectly pitched both as a varietal and as a Stellenbosch classic.

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