Name: Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Old Vine 2023
Brand: Ken Forrester
Price: 17 EUR
Availability: InStock

Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Old Vine 2023

Iconic producer of this variety that has found its home in South Africa. A staple wine from a winery that is considered the best just for Chenin Blanc. The colour is yellow with greenish highlights with very good viscosity. Aromas open with traces of peach, tangerine, grapefruit peel and almond. On the palate the wine is very elegant and medium-bodied, fruity yet mineral, with fresh cutting acidity and a beautifully long finish.

Decanter Awards 92

2023 / 0.75l / 13.5% / Stellenbosch - South Africa

About the winery

In 1993 a young couple, Ken and Teresa, bought an old farm with land in the Stellenbosch region that had been built in 1689. In 1994, the first wines were created from a thirty-year-old vineyard next to the farm. At the time, no one knew what fame Stellebosch would grow into.

In white wines, it was helped by the fame of the Chenin Blanc grape, which has been the key grape in the Ken Forrester winery for over 30 years. There are other popular varieties in the winery today, yet Ken remains the uncrowned king of this once forgotten variety.

Terroir

Stellenbosch lies just 40 km east of Cape Town. The Simonsberg Mountains to the north separate it from Paarl, while the Hottentot Holland Mountains to the east separate it from Walker Bay. False Bay lies about 12 miles (20 km) to the south.

Granite and sandstone soils are found throughout Stellenbosch. Due to their high clay content, they have excellent water retention properties, although they are free draining. Sufficient winter rainfall allows growers to keep irrigation to a minimum. Much has been made of the suitability of the soils in Stellenbosch for growing particularly premium red wine grapes.

The climate in the area is relatively hot and dry, although the influence of the False Bay sea is evident in the south. In the afternoons, the vineyards are buffeted by a cool south-easterly wind, which refreshes the grapes after the hot morning sun. White wine varieties are often planted closer to the ocean where this effect is more pronounced.