FOR JUST R69 a bottle you can get a delicious blend of Chenin and Roussanne from Wellington, Grenache Blanc from the Breedekloof and Viognier from Robertson – a mix that placed among the Top 10 and offered best ‘bang for your buck’ in Winemag’s 2021 Cape White Blend Report. In fact, at the time of writing the 2020 Bonfire Hill was on special in Gauteng at only R59 a bottle!

One of Bruce Jack’s combos, or more specifically, from The Drift Farm in the Overberg Highlands outside Napier at the gateway to Cape Agulhas, the 2020 Bonfire Hill White is a must-have for bargain hunters. Initially it was positioned as “an outdoor wine, braai wine if you must”. The “fantastic mouthfeel and oiliness go with anything that comes off the grid”. There is a bonfire on the farm every year and this wine is “the perfect match to the stars and crackling coals”.

However: “All around the far-flung edges of the South African winelands are special blocks of vineyards that disappear into massive blends of often mediocre quality.” The Bonfire wines are “all about plucking these [extreme] vineyards from obscurity and allowing them to sing”. The 2018 white blend comprising over 80% Chenin came from dryland bushvines of the warm Swartland, and on other occasions or for red wines in the range the grapes have been sourced from the wind-ravaged vineyards of Elim and the Overberg or the high slopes of Piekenierskloof. In 2020 the Chenin accounted for 15% less and Viognier joined the Grenache and Roussanne for an added dimension.

BONFIRE HILL WHITE 2020
A blend of Chenin (67%), Roussanne (12%), Grenache Blanc (12%) and Viognier (9%). WO Wellington (67%), Breedekloof (24%) and Robertson (9%). 6225 bottles.
Alc 13.5 | RS 2.3 | TA 5.3 | pH 3.32
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Complex, ripe aromas of citrus and peach, backed up by the faintest sprinkling of fresh thyme and vanilla. The aromas introduce a palate altogether more complex, with rich, more-ish, juicy stone fruit, wrapped up in crunchy, refreshing, grapey acidity.
Winemag’s Tasting Notes: Subtle aromatics of honeysuckle, citrus and peach with spice and some earthiness in the background. The palate, meanwhile, is tightly wound with a good core of fruit to go with some phenolic grip, the finish intensely savoury.
Pairing Suggestions: Spring vegetables, light seafood dishes and scallops.
R69pb from the cellar.