Kunye Chenin Blanc 2020
This is feels strange to be writing about something that is so loaded with expectation.
Not just my own expectations, but Cassidy's, friend's and family member's too. People who've supported this project from the very beginning.
The Wine:
Pale lemon with some effervescence clinging to my glass. Medium nose of lime, chamomile, nectarines and tinned pineapples.
Dry, zingy acidity and light bodied. Lime, peach, caramelised sugar, metal, bitter fynbos. A medium finish that starts off as bitter herbs but ends in slightly sweet canned peaches. It’s kind of nice how the sweetness clings to the folds of your mouth and come back to surprise you. I’m not sure what’s happening with the bubbles on my glass, but there’s no tingle on my tongue. Salty tinned pineapples on the second day…with an even longer finish.
Vini + Viti:
Chenin Blanc dryland farmed in the Swartland. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks using natural yeasts. The wine was left on the lees for an extended period of time before bottling.
Conclusion:
Balance (1) + Length (½) + Intensity (1) + Complexity (½) = A good wine
Drink now, not really designed for further ageing...but it could age for a while.
Final thoughts:
I’m writing these notes at 11pm…after spending the longest day driving the wines from Malmesbury back home. It’s been 4 months since we first tasted them. And I was anxious about how they’d evolved…if at all. After picking up our sample bottles, we drove 100 metres and parked off just before the exit to the winery so that I could taste the wine. Yes, I took a glass and corkscrew on a road trip! But I needed to know what was inside the bottle before I encouraged people to buy them.
The wines were sound, even at a warm temperature. I felt a slight sense of relief as I spat into the dry earth, but I couldn’t wait to pop them into the fridge and really test them out. I’m exhausted. Anxious. Watching the clock because tomorrow is another long day. The story behind the wine is worth buying them…the cause is worth supporting. But after a long, long day and many, many months of sleepless nights...the wine inside is worth supporting too.
Read my Kunye Syrah 2019 review.
