Stellenrust Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 57
Stellenrust Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 57 - Grapes for this wine are harvested from a single vineyard planted in 1964 of Chenin blanc on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills, hence the number on the front of the bottle refers to the age of the vines in the year the wine was made.
In the Cellar:
Again careful attention to every grape coming into the cellar was necessary for the vintage through sectional harvest. Even though warmer temperatures than normal occurred during the harvest, hanging time was in line with other vintages on these old bush vines. Botrytis development also took some time but did eventually occur after mid-March drizzles.
Grapes are harvested between 22 and 24 balling and the juice is allowed to settle without enzymes over several days. The juice is then drawn off into a special selection of barrels and allowed to ferment naturally. Fermentation took just under 8 months to finish and the wine was kept on the fermentation lees for an additional 1 month.
Vineyards: 55-year-old bush vines from Bottelary property planted in ironstone
Time spent on lees in barrel: 9 months in oak: 90% French and 10% Hungarian oak.
Food pairing:
This Chenin will compliment an array of dishes: from orange-infused duck confit to lemon-infused Norwegian salmon on a bed of creamed spinach and potato puree.