Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2025

Kleine Zalze, fact sheet (kleinezalze.co.za – linket fra kleinezalze.co.za, hentet 2026-10-18): 2025 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc – område: Stellenbosch (arket: «Stellenbosch»); druer: Chenin Blanc; alkohol 12.5%. Producentens noter (engelsk): Viticulture: The Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2025 was crafted from vineyards across different wards in Stellenbosch, where vines grow predominantly on decomposed granite soils, each contributing to the wine’s complexity. As with the preceding vintages, the 2025 is certified as originating from Heritage Vineyards, which consist mainly of bush vines. Abundant winter rainfall in 2024 laid the groundwork for the growing season ahead, with a largely dry and moderate spring promoting even fruit set, which seemingly helped the vineyards rebound from the lower tonnage of the two preceding vintages. Summer started dry and mild, lowering disease pressure and as the season progressed to February, the warm, dry days with cool evenings provided the grapes with the best ripening conditions in almost a decade. As close to a perfect vintage as one can get, 2025 will be one to remember for years to come. Vinification: The different grape parcels were harvested separately between 20 and 22° Balling, with a deliberate decision to pick at slightly lower sugar levels in order to retain freshness in the final wine. The grapes arrived at the winery early in the mornings, where they were crushed into holding tanks, and underwent skin contact for 12–18 hours prior to settling. After just one day of settling, the slightly turbid juice was racked off its gross lees into a stainless-steel tank and inoculated with selected slow-fermenting yeast strains. It was then gravity-fed into 400 L French oak barrels, Italian terracotta amphorae, and concrete eggs for fermentation, with barrel-fermented wine making up 60% of the final blend. No new oak was used, to preserve the delicate flavours of Chenin Blanc. The wine spent a further nine months on the lees in the respective fermentation vessels and was bottled without fining or filtration.