Skuinskap Steen Chenin Blanc 2023

Issue d’un vignoble unique situé à Piekenierskloof, à l’ouest du Cap-Occidental en Afrique du Sud, cette parcelle a été plantée en 1977 à environ 750 m d’altitude sur des sols de grès décomposés et de quartz granitique. Les vignes sont cultivées en agriculture biologique et sans irrigation. Le climat de montagne procure un cycle de maturité lent et une amplitude thermique significative, favorisant une belle expression aromatique alliée à une fraîcheur remarquable. Le choix d’un tel terroir permet au Chenin Blanc de révéler finesse, tension et profondeur.

La vinification démarre par une vendange manuelle suivie d’un pressurage de grappes entières puis d’une fermentation par levures indigènes, dans d’anciens tonneaux de 500 litres. L’élevage se prolonge pendant environ 10 mois dans ces contenants neutres, sur lies fines. Cette approche sobre et respectueuse donne un vin élégant, tendu, qui met en avant le fruit et le terroir.

Ce vin dévoile des notes d'agrumes, de poire mûre, de nectarine jaune, de coing frais, de fruits exotiques, d'infusion de verveine, de camomille, d’herbes sèches et d’une subtile touche saline. En bouche, la texture est dense mais raffinée, avec une acidité ciselée qui apporte du relief et une finale longue et racée.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.