AT THE TIME of writing there were fewer than 400 bottles / 60 cases left at the cellar in Paarl. Which is hardly surprising, given that it was a trophy winner at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, UK, and a 95-pointer at the Veritas Awards, SA. There was a time when Perdeberg presented mainly as a home of Chenin Blanc. Today it's more than that, with two of the cellar's three most prestigious offerings being red blends, one led by Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, one Pinotage-driven, but Chenin continues to play a big role. The Perdeberg Dry Land Old Vine Barrel Fermented version has one of the ‘best of the best' track records, and at last count there were nine different Chenins in the portfolio – the Endura Single Vineyard positioned at the top of the range. And how about that… It's ‘Wine of Origin Paardeberg', not very far from the cellar but which most wine lovers would associate with cellars north of this mountain in the Swartland, rather than Paarl.
ENDURA SINGLE VINEYARD CHENIN BLANC 2022
WO Paardeberg. From a 12-year-old dryland vineyard (unirrigated) on top of the mountain. Grapes brought to the cellar in the early-morning, destemmed and sorted to remove unsuitable berries. After the crush, free-run juice transferred to a combination of ceramic amphora, Diamanté concrete tanks and French oak barrels for fermentation, after which the wine was aged on the lees (spent yeast sediment) for eight months before blending. Total production: 3300 × 750ml bottles.
Acl 14 | RS 2.2 | TA 6.1 | pH 3.4
Wine Producer's Tasting Notes: Green/yellow colour. Notes of ripe stone fruit, citrus and lemon on the nose. A rich palate, with fresh acidity and mineral finish. Best served (only) slightly chilled.
Maturation Potential: Ready on release, with the potential to age with interest for a further five years.
Pairing Recommendations: Most fish or poultry dishes; ideal match for spicy curries.
R250pb ex-cellar, Paarl.
