As South Africa solidifies its position as the best place in the world to find world class Chenin Blanc, it becomes more apparent with time that there are certain producers who can really deliver high quality at remarkable pricing.

Stellenrust is in a unique position as it has a number of old vine vineyards to work with, Chenin Blanc making up a large share of this old vine material.  It truly is an exceptional winery and does many things well but their Chenin Blanc is one of the key varietals for this venerable producer.  One of the wines that showcases the winery’s prowess with Chenin Blanc is their Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc sourced from old bush vine material, from Stellenbosch’s Bottelary Hills, planted in 1964. Part of the Old Vine Project (OVP), each new vintage carries the age of the vines on the bottle; the current 2021 vintage comes from vines that were 57 year old at the time of harvest.

The 2021 ’57’ Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc possesses an assortment of tropical and stone fruit flavors that’s driven by an underlying vein of countering acidity that plays off perfectly against the wine’s intense fruit and mid palate creaminess. Possessing exceptional length and persistence on the finish, there’s a touch of botrytis that adds extra complexity to the whole package. Engaging and a sheer delight to drink, this is just now starting to open up with a good number of years of great drinking in front of it. For $29.99 you get a lot of wine for the money.