Description
A wine made with love and passion, the 2023 Axle Chenin Blanc is a tribute to the winemaker’s wife, who inspired its creation. Sourced from 1985-planted dry-land bush vines in Darling, this Chenin embodies the essence of old South African bush vine terroir. Fermented naturally in seasoned barrels and aged on its lees for 9 months, it presents an inviting bouquet of ripe pear, subtle spice, and a striking minerality. The palate is textural, with hints of wild pear, herbal lemon, and a touch of lees, while a crisp acidity and flinty finish with a whisper of tangerine pith adds freshness and complexity. A wine that’s both charming and evocative, with a memorable, lingering finish.
Reviews
Tim Atkin 93
"Early picked stuff in 2023 turned out pretty good," says Alex Milner. This wild yeast fermented Chenin Blanc, sourced from a Darling vineyard planted in 1985, is a case in point, all fennel, dried honey and baking spices, fresh acidity and the salty grip of weathered granite soils. [Tim Atkin, 02/09/2024]
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2029
JancisRobinson.com 17.5
Full bottle 1,368 g. Certified Heritage Vineyards (planted 1985). Dry-farmed Chenin bush vines on decomposed granite. Basket pressed, spontaneous fermentation in old barrels and aged in barrel on lees without stirring for nine months. Remarkably deep gold for such a young wine. Full-bodied, toasty richness. Coddled-cream contours carved into curving swathes of flavour by dense, stony minerality. The fruit is baked-pear sweet, baked-banana creamy, laced with vanilla pod and frangipani and honeysuckle. Long peppery finish. It’s magnificent, as it always is. But comforting, too. It’s a wine I want to curl up with. [Tamlyn Currin, 13/08/2024]
Greg Sherwood 96
This old vine Chenin Blanc vineyard yields a complex exotic aromatics of ripe quince and tinned peaches, orange rind, wet straw, honey on white toast, golden delicious apples and bruised yellow orchard fruits. The palate is bold, plush, and textural, brimming with a yellow stone fruit concentration, layers of creamy oak spice, and subtle lemon curd and orange peel on the long intense finish. As always, there is beautiful fruit purity, pinpoint precision, and dramatic old vine intensity. Another triumphantly characterful Chenin Blanc from Alex Milner and the Natte Valleij team. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years. [Greg Sherwood MW, 28/05/2024]
Producer Profile
Natte Valleij, a historic family farm in Stellenbosch run by winemaker Alex Milner, has received critical acclaim for his site specific Cinsault from various pockets of extraordinary old vine parcels across the Cape. Tamlyn Currin writes: “It was the first time I’d tasted Cinsault. It was the first time I actually understood the variety. It was a lightning strike.” Together with his stellar Axle Chenin Blanc from Darling. Tamlyn writes: “Alex Milner pushes the edges of possibility and beauty. He always takes my breath away. Surely this cannot be under £30?!” The stage has been set, heroing the adopted heritage grapes of South Africa, finally allowing them freedom of expression. As well as our very own, native Pinotage – Alex and his Natte Valleij wines represent the spirit of the Cape and we’d strongly advise you visit him and his wines during Cape Wine.
