2023 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc

Product Description

Kleine Zalze is an award-winning winery situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, just two miles from Stellenbosch. Winemaking has taken place on the 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. In September 2022 ownership passed to Advini, a world renowned French wine company, starting a new chapter for Kleine Zalze Wines.

Kleine Zalze pride themselves on their holistic approach to winemaking. They integrate traditional techniques with modern technology, creating a line of award-winning wines that enchant the palate. Key to Kleine Zalze’s success is their commitment to terroir — recognising how regional characteristics shape the quality and personality of their wines.

Wine Maker’s Notes: Only the very best Chenin Blanc is selected for this wine. The focus is placed on blending components that are not necessarily obviously pungent and fruity but rather intensely and elegantly structured, promising fantastic ageability. White peach with bursts of citrus pith. Understated power with mineral finish on the palate and a delicate floral perfume.

The Vineyard: The Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2023 was crafted from different wards in Stellenbosch where vines grow mainly on Decomposed granite soils, each contributing to the complexity of the wine. 2023, as in 2022, is also certified as made from Heritage Vineyards, which are predominantly bush vines. The canopy of the bush vines was suckered and tipped to ensure a cool microclimate around the bunches with no direct sun and without botrytis.

The Vintage: The run-up to the season was characterized by a warm and dry winter and spring, resulting in drier than usual soil conditions at the onset of the growing season. This resulted in earlier budbreak and flowering, and as such also promising an earlier than usual harvest.

Wine Making: To capture the essence of this Chenin Blanc, the grapes were harvested separately over two days. They were then sorted and reductively crushed, undergoing 12 to 18 hours of skin contact before a brief one-day settling period. The slightly cloudy juice was then racked off its heavy sediment into a stainless steel tank, inoculated with selected slow-fermenting yeast strains, and gravity-fed into a combination of concrete eggs, Italian Terracotta Amphorae, and 400-liter French oak barrelsthe latter comprising 70% of the final blend. To protect the grape’s delicate, natural flavors, no new oak was used. Finally, the wine aged on its lees for an additional eight months in these respective vessels to build texture and complexity, before being bottled directly without any fining or filtration

The result is a complex and well-balanced wine that pairs perfectly with seafood, poultry, and light salads. With its elegant bouquet, vibrant acidity, and long, lingering finish, Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc is sure to impress even the most discerning wine connoisseurs.