Planted in 1971, Riverside Chenin blanc is the oldest vineyard on Keermont and one of the oldest blocks on Chenin blanc in Stellenbosch. Soils on the banks of the Blaauwklippen River, in which the vines are planted, vary from sandy alluvial plains with river stone to red clay loam as one moves away from the river. This patchy old vineyard, at an elevation of 250m, delivers very low yields of incredible quality fruit year in and year out. Like the old vines from which it is made, this wine has great complexity and character with quiet intensity. Proud member of the Old Vine Project (www.oldvineproject.co.za). The yield from the Riverside Chenin blanc vineyard (2.14 HA) is so low that every bunch is used to make this wine. The vineyard is hand-picked in small sections according to where the grapes are perfectly ripe. The fruit is normally golden yellow in colour and peppered with delicious raisins. The grapes are crushed before being basket-pressed straight to the barrels where the juice will ferment. Fermentation is carried out by yeast which occurs naturally on the grape skins and in the winery. This wine was fermented and then spent a further 11 months maturing on the lees in three seasoned 500L French oak barrels. Bottling was carried out by hand and only 1665 bottles and 50 magnums of this wine were produced.  

TASTING NOTE

Lovely faint lime hue. The aromas are fresh with delicate floral notes of lily and salted cashew and a soft indication of oak. Classic old vine Chenin blanc. Floral notes give way to youthful fruit aromas of naartjie or mandarin zest and fresh white pear. Fruit is lightly seasoned with toasted Sesame and spicy undertones. The palate is crisp and dry up front, with racy acidity and a long finish. White fruit notes follow through from the nose, and pear and granny smith apple flavours are most evident. After some time in the glass, it shows cumin and ginger spice with characteristic salinity and light texture on the finish.  

VINTAGE REPORT

Winter temperatures leading up to the 2020 harvest were moderate, with below average rainfall. Fortunately, we had a wet Spring which prompted the vines to grow strong and develop a decent size crop. Early season was marked by erratic temperatures with several heat spikes. These factors made farming quite tough with increased pressure from disease and insects. The vineyard team worked hard to prepare a healthy crop. Mid-Summer temperatures were moderate, although we did experience a short heat wave in January. This was followed by a galeforce South-East wind which hammered the vineyards. This resulted in the grapes ripening quickly. Although we started picking at a normal time, by 10 March we had picked all the grapes for our wines.

ANALYSIS

Alc: 14.0 % pH: 3.42 TA: 5.2 g/L RS: 1.6 g/L TSO2: 72 mg/L VA: 0.90 g/L

ACCOLADES

RIVERSIDE CHEN 21: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 20: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE RIVERSIDE CHEN 20: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 20: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) RIVERSIDE CHEN 20: 91 pts WINE SPECTATOR RIVERSIDE CHEN 19: 95 pts DECANTER RIVERSIDE CHEN 19: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE RIVERSIDE CHEN 19: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 19: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) RIVERSIDE CHEN 19: 91 pts WINE SPECTATOR RIVERSIDE CHEN 18: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 18: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) RIVERSIDE CHEN 18: 96 pts DECANTER RIVERSIDE CHEN 18: 96 pts WINE MAGAZINE RIVERSIDE CHEN 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE RIVERSIDE CHEN 17: 95pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 17: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE RIVERSIDE CHEN 17: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN RIVERSIDE CHEN 15: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) RIVERSIDE CHEN 15: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) RIVERSIDE CHEN 14:  5 stars PLATTER GUIDE 2016 RIVERSIDE CHEN 14: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) RIVERSIDE CHEN 14: 17 pts JANCIS ROBINSON RIVERSIDE CHEN 13: 89 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) RIVERSIDE CHEN 13:  4½ stars PLATTER GUIDE