SA Chenin Blanc just isn't what it used to be. It's better!

South African Chenin Blanc just isn’t what it used to be… It’s better!

09/2021 Mike Froud Leave a comment

CONSISTENCY is a wonderful thing, as is the emergence of new stars and the resurgence of others. It would be surprising should Stellenrust and DeMorgenzon not feature among the Top 10 in the annual Challenge staged by the Chenin Blanc Association of South Africa, sponsored by Standard Bank. Ditto two other Stellenbosch cellars, Kleine Zalze and Ken Forrester – although this year Forrester is represented by a wine that originated in the Swartland. Also of particular interest value is Donkiesbaai Steen, from grapes harvested further north in the Piekenierskloof area outside Citrusdal. And surely there isn’t a Chenin fan who wouldn’t like to try the second vintage of Solitude from Le Belle Rebelle in the Breedekloof?

There were 138 submissions for this year’s challenge, judged by Wine Cellar merchant/cellarer James Pietersen (chair), Groot Constantia winemaker Boela Gerber CWM, sommelier Higgo Jacobs, wine bar owner/sommelier Penny Setti and wine writer Malu Lambert. Pietersen believes that South Africa has set the benchmark for Chenin Blanc, and that because of the competitive spirit of innovation amongst local winemakers, the country is the pre-eminent source of the most exciting and delicious expessions in the world.

For more about the competition, click here. For the SA Chenin Classification, see here, and for all of the top Chenin ratings during the past two years, click here.