- Why is Chenin Blanc synonymous with South Africa?
- The official categorisation of South African Chenin Blanc.
- What about old vine South African Chenin makes the world sit up?
There is so much to say about Chenin Blanc in South Africa, but we'll have to start at the beginning for you to understand its power, diversity and sheer class.
We could spend a year reviewing one old vine or site-specific, soil-specific, or style-specific, top-rated Chenin a day and still not have run through the grand scope of this variety in South Africa. Thus, a little background to help you navigate the market.
South Africa is the eighth-largest wine producer in the world, with 90 512 hectares under vine (according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine). Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted variety, representing 18.6% of the total area under vine (followed by Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, in that order), a figure that makes our Chenin Blanc plantings the most extensive in the world, ahead of its homeland in the Loire Valley of France.
Of the 4 004 hectares of vineyards more than 35 years old, thereby certified Old Vines, Chenin Blanc represents the most significant portion of these at 2074.49 hectares, a whopping 51.81%, with the oldest Chenin Blanc vines planted in 1942 in Stellenbosch (there's a Cinsault vineyard planted in 1900).
The reason for the sheer extent of these Old Vine vineyards in South Africa is the fortified wines produced by the KWV back in the day.
While Old Vines aren't always economically viable, not producing big yields, planted in the right area, or requiring a lot of rehabilitation in some cases, their deep roots and sheer survival instinct imbue the resulting wine, not just with a depth of flavour but texture. The new generation of winemakers talk about the concept of weightless intensity, which in layman's terms, I believe to mean more representative of the soils, and less impacted by practices in the cellar. Thus, you're not looking for bold flavours but allowing these wines to settle on your palate and slowly bring out the primary, secondary and tertiary flavours. It's a geeky thing, but once you've tasted what they mean, you're ruined for the entry-level tier (though I'll never say no, mind you).
Given its history in South Africa, it has only seemed to reach its true potential in recent years. The first Platter's Wine Guide five-star rating for a Chenin Blanc was only awarded in 2014 to Carl Everson's 2012 Chenin Blanc from Opstal. Since then, it has grown in stature to a whopping 33 five-star Chenins in 2021. And the industry followed.
Tim Atkin awarded his second 100-point rating in his Special South African Report of 2020 to Eben Sadie's Skurfberg 2019, made from seven rows of Basie van Lill's old vine West Coast vineyard. Chenin Blanc is diverse, not only limited to a whole aroma wheel of still wines, but also made into sweet (see De Trafford's enigmatic Straw Wine, or the Mullineux's sold-out Straw Wine, for that matter) and sparkling wines.
Rebecca Gibb MW writes in her Loire Report: "Chenin is one of the most versatile grape varieties, making every shade of white, its personality oscillating pendulum-like depending on its site and its winemaker's intention."
As such, South Africa's Chenin Blanc Association has proven to be a great unifier for the many eclectic styles of Chenin produced in South Africa. From wines made in the Northern Cape to Stellenbosch, Swartland to Robertson, how would you know what to buy? While old vine Swartland Chenin remains one of the biggest selling categories, though those old vines produce small yields and are therefore limited, you'd most probably be able to find a Chenin to suit your every mood.
The Chenin Association has introduced a Chenin Blanc Style Indicator as a sticker on the bottle, indicating whether that particular bottle falls into either the rich, fruity or fresh categories. Rich implies some use of oak; fruity implies maturation in various vessels (amphoras, large oak casks and old oak), and fresh in reference to the mouth-watering acidity imparted by the use of stainless steel tanks. In fact, when you talk about Chenin, you'd be well-advised to consider their Aroma Wheel to understand the sheer scope of it. You can have a look here for the more academically minded among you
The French tend to complicate things in terms of naming conventions. Chenin Blanc in France also goes by the regional names of Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux, and Savennières. In South Africa, we like to keep things simple, thus Steen. Deriving from early documents referring to the three varieties that first arrived here in 1655: Groendruif (Semillon), Fransdruif, and Steen. We only figured out officially that Steen was indeed Chenin Blanc in 1963 when the head of Viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch, Professor CJ Orffer, pronounced it so. Though we only have one other name for it, South African Chenin Blanc's various styles seem as diverse as the land and its people, and while not wholly our own, like Pinotage, it really does represent the best of us.
While almost impossible to come up with an off-the-cuff list of Chenins for you to try, given that there are so many and I wouldn't want to exclude any of the notable ones, I had to give you something to whet your appetite. Thus, made up of nothing more than my own meandering experience and the fact that I really like and respect the people behind each one of these beautiful wines (by no means conclusive):
Roodekrantz 1983 Swartland Chenin Blanc 202
Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 202
