2011 Sadie Family "Old Vine Series- Skurfberg" Chenin Blanc Swartland South Africa

Also from the Olidants River Region comes the 2011 Old Vine Series Skurfberg. It is born from three parcels of pure, old bush vine Chenin Blanc planted on decomposed sandstone soils. It has a very delicate, precise bouquet of walnut, lemon rind, blackcurrant leaf and lanolin. The palate is beautifully balanced with tightly wound citric fruit and minerals. The finish is reticent at the moment, but both its intensity and persistency suggest it will reward years of bottle age... Let me make it clear that these very limited bottlings are as much an intellectual exercise as a sensory one. If you are seeking wines that mean something -- then you should learn about them first, understand where Eben is coming from and then appreciate them for what they represent as much as how they taste. So my scores are in some ways irrelevant here. I just urge readers to understand them, try one out, make up their own mind, drop me a line and tell me what you think. And because they are so individual and I have only tasted the once or twice, I have refrained from drinking windows, but suggest that for the most part while they can be enjoyed young, they are also well worth cellaring. (12/ 2012)