4 ½ Stars 2020 Platter’s South African Wine Guide

Pure drinking pleasure from various sites in Stellenbosch. 18’s (93 pts) tropical fruit given texture, shape & delicious vanilla coating by older-oak ferment/ageing as Reserve sibling, but only 6 months. Stylish, excellent value to boot.

91 pts winemag.co.za Sept 2019

Remarkably, Stellenbosch cellar Kleine Zalze has two wines among the winners of this year’s Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge, namely the top-end Family Reserve 2018  and the mid-range Vineyard Selection 2018.

Happily, the Vineyard Selection is both widely available and provides excellent quality relative to price. From vineyards that are 30 years old on average, winemaking involved maturation in old oak for six months. The nose shows citrus and peach with some hay and spice in the background while the palate is super-rich and super-fresh – concentrated fruit combined with punchy acidity.