Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2024

Kleine Zalze gave extended (24 hours) 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 one day before inoculation with selected yeast strains. The juice was racked into barrels and Amphora (for the first time) 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 seven months before being racked out and prepared for bottling.

The grapes for this wine comes from selected “Bush Vine” vineyards in Stellenbosch. The average age of these vines are 30 years and most of them are planted on decomposed granite soils. Owing to the nature of bush vines, careful canopy management was exercised so that no bunches were exposed to excessive sunlight and an even ripening of the grapes. The grapes were handpicked early in the morning and immediately crushed into holding tanks. For a change Stellenbosch had a normal winter in 2020. Cold and very wet and even a little bit of snow on the mountains. Summer started a bit later than normal and thus the ripening was delayed by about ten days. It was a very moderate but dry summer, exactly what we want for quality wine production.

This wine can be enjoyed now, but with careful cellaring it should age gracefully over the next 10 years.

Chenin Blanc

This wine pairs well with veal and pork work very well here, along with richer seafood dishes and soft cheeses.

Kleine Zalze’s award-winning wines are known for their distinctly South African character, boasting lively, full-bodied flavours that reflect the local climate and terroir. With their classical composition and complimentary relationship with food, our wines ensure a refreshing experience reminiscent of the Stellenbosch countryside.