Stellenrust maintains 100% record at Top 10 Chenin Challenge

08/2022 Mike Froud Leave a comment

A NUMBER of things come to mind on perusal of the 2022 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge results. One is how many of the top wines originate in old vineyards, four of which include vines over 50 years old. Another is the depth of quality shown by the leading producers, some of them shining with Chenins other than the flagships in their range.

Nabygelegen, one of the newcomers to the podium at this Challenge, was made from grapes harvested from vines in Wellington that are over 70 years old. And the fruit for the Bergendal Chenin from Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal, comes from a vineyard planted over 60 years ago.

This year’s winning wineries with the best track records at the Challenge include two from Stellenbosch, Spier and Stellenrust, the latter having featured among the winners at every Challenge held by the Chenin Blanc Association to date. And four of the winners have wines at or near the top of the leaderboard in the SA Chenin Classification: Alvi’s Drift of Worcester with the ‘Albertus Viljoen’ in their ‘Icon’ range, Kaapzicht of Bottelary in Stellenbosch with their ‘1947’ version, Spier’s ’21 Gables’ and Stellenrust’s Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc as well as their Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc, of which the 2020 and 2021 vintages have placed among the Top 10 in successive editions of the Challenge.

There were 137 entries in total. On the tasting panel: retailer James Pietersen of Wine Cellar (chair), Groot Constantia winemaker Boela Gerber CWM, Master of Wine Richard Kershaw, sommelier and wine bar owner Penny Setti/Noire, wine writer Malu Lambert and SA Sommeliers Association chair Spencer Fondaumiere.

Only 25% barrel-fermented, Rijk’s 2020 Touch Chenin Blanc from Tulbagh and Alvi’s 2021 vintage of their ‘221’ Chenin are the closest to unwooded wines in the Top 10 line-up (below), relative to the other trophy winners that have spent up to 11 months in oak ranging from new to fifth-fill and from 225L to 500L in size. “Almost two-thirds of the entries were wooded,” reflected Pietersen, “but this distinction seems less relevant now that so many entrants are opting not just for less new wood but for old and large oak, for amphorae, stainless steel, concrete tanks and egg-shaped vessels. The various combinations of maturation vessels they employ just keep on adding new levels of nuance and complexity.”