Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2023

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc

Region: Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa

Vintage: 2023

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 13.5%

Layers of melon, guava, apricots and peaches with hints of flint and vanilla spice. Delicate oak flavours finishes the wine beautifully. This wine can be enjoyed now, but with careful cellaring it should age gracefully over the next 10 years. Perfect with seafood

The grapes were handpicked early in the morning and immediately crushed into holding tanks. We gave extended (24hours) skin contact to extract all the Chenin flavours to ensure good structure in the final wine. Only the free run juice was used and settled for 1 day before inoculation with selected yeast strains. The juice was racked into barrels for fermentation. No new barrels were used to ensure that unique characters of the specific terroirs were preserved in the wine. After fermentation the wine was aged on the primary lees for another 6 months before being racked out and prepared for bottling.

Kleine Zalze is our family-owned winery situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, just two miles from Stellenbosch. Winemaking has taken place on our estate on a small scale since 1695 but it was in 1996, when Kobus Basson and his family purchased the property, that the modern Kleine Zalze was born. The philosophy is simple: success begins in the vineyards. Exceptional wines are made possible by selecting varieties and clones specifically suited to the various soils and slopes, and further careful management of the farm’s extensive natural assets. This continuous attention to detail culminated in Kleine Zalze achieving new heights in 2020 and being named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African wine guide, arguably the most comprehensive guide to South African wine in the world.

https://www.kleinezalze.co.za