A.A. Badenhorst Grensloos Chenin Blanc 2024

A.A. Badenhorst Grensloos Chenin Blanc

Region: Swartland, Coastal Region, South Africa

Vintage: 2024

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 13.5%

The nose opens with aromas of white peach, quince, honey, and orange blossom. The palate is rich and creamy, layered with stone fruit and citrus, balanced by zesty acidity and a crisp, mineral finish. A complex, textural Chenin Blanc shaped by old vines, lees ageing, and foudre fermentation.

Grensloos Chenin Blanc is a blend of fruit from dry-farmed bush vine vineyards on Jakkalsfontein and Kalmoesfontein farms in the Paardeberg region of Swartland. Planted between 1966 and 1978, these low-yielding vines (approx. two tons/ha) grow in decomposed granite soils, with smaller fractions of coarse yellow granite and clay, contributing to the wine’s mineral tension and textural depth.

Harvest dates vary across the vineyards due to differing soils and slopes. Grapes are picked early and cooled overnight in a refrigerated room before being whole-bunch pressed together, blending the sites from the outset. Fermentation occurs naturally in a mix of old French oak 1,200-litre foudres and small concrete tanks. The wine remains on its primary lees for 10 months, and is bottled after 12 months of ageing, without fining or filtration.

Neal Martin describes Adi Badenhorst as someone who “epitomises the carefree spirit that pervades the [Swartland] region”, a phrase that still doesn’t do justice to a man whose personality is as characterful as the wines he makes. Adi founded A.A. Badenhorst Family Wines in the Paardeberg with his cousin Hein in 2008. He is a champion of attentive farming and minimal intervention winemaking to convey an authentic expression of the Swartland in his wines.