Nederburg Auction:

Old Vines Wine Cellars, a newcomer to the Nederburg Auction this year, has become renowned for leading the 'Super Chenin' revolution which is now embracing the winelands of the Cape. As South Africa's first and only women's empowerment winery, the cellar was started by Cape Wine Master Irina von Holdt and her daughter Françoise Botha. In 1995, the winery began with the aim of raising the profile of the Cape's oldest variety and turning Chenin Blanc into the white wine flagbearer for South Africa. The release of their maiden vintage that same year caused a major sensation with the introduction of South Africa's first wine in a brilliant blue bottle - Blue White Chenin Blanc. The wine rose to critical acclaim and then in 1997, the winery's first reserve wines were produced under the Old Vines label. Until now Old Vines has focused entirely on Chenin Blanc, but plans are afoot to expand the range of wines this year. Owning neither vineyards nor a cellar, this all-girls team sources grapes from some of Stellenbosch's leading farms. They deliberately draw from vineyards situated on a variety of soil types, including clay, decomposed granite and alluvial soils, and those with different aspects. This, they believe, is one of the keys to the added complexity of their wines. According to Irina, while their Chenin Blancs may not be immediately accessible in their first year, unlike so many other South African Chenins they do have the potential for bottle maturation. She believes that if Chenin Blanc is made properly, it has the potential to age far longer than any other white wine varietal. OLD VINES CHENIN BLANC 1997 (6 x 750 ml) ITEM 22 Grapes were sourced from six meticulously maintained old Stellenbosch vineyards. The oldest of these was planted in 1929 - something of a record for a South African dry white wine - while the others vary in age from 23 to 49 years old. Yields were kept extremely low and ranged from 4-8 tones per hectare. Careful and thoughtful styling has resulted in a wine that appeals to a wide range of winelovers, many of whom had never considered Chenin Blanc to be capable of producing a serious wine. The wine is 100% Chenin Blanc with a small portion showing Botrytis or noble rot character, adding to its complexity. The depth and the intensity of fruit, with its many layers of flavour, together with excellent balance and a long resonating finish have led expert and non-expert tasters to agree that is indeed a very special Chenin Blanc. This wine has previously not been released in South Africa.