Description
The 2020 Sarah Raal Chenin Blanc is an exceptional wine, showcasing the perfect blend of grapes from Spioenkop’s ferricrete and shale soils. This unique combination adds both weight and power, creating a wine with huge presence and flavor. On the nose, you’ll find aromas of honeysuckle, yellow apple, wet wool, and spice. The palate is concentrated with vibrant fruit flavors of white peach, pineapple, and pear, complemented by layers of mandarin zest, apple, pickling spices, and a touch of minerality. With a crisp, elegant finish and fresh acidity, this wine is beautifully balanced and shows incredible depth.
Food Pairing: Ideal with seafood, grilled chicken, or light pasta dishes.
Tasting Notes
Platter’s 94
[Platter’s, 01/01/2023]
Greg Sherwood 96
Pale lemon straw colour with a clean nose of unexpected linear purity of fruit, such as white peach, pineapple, apple and pear notes, rounded with a touch of chalkiness. On the palate the layered complexity of mandarine zest, apple, pickling spices, white citrus/jasmine blossoms, grapefruit pith and a fine minerality surprise. The beautifully balanced acidity and the intense core make a wine that is fresh, crisp and elegant with tremendous depth. [Greg Sherwood, 01/01/2023]
Tim Atkin 95
The grapes that used to go into the Johanna Brandt bottling now go into this wine, as they are "better together", according to Koen Roose. Intensely mineral, this is very much a cool climate style, with wonderful freshness and vivacity, citrus and passion fruit flavours and baking spice top notes. 2022-28 [Tim Atkin, 02/09/2021]
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2028
