OLD ROAD WINE CO. ANEMOS CHENIN BLANC 2018

Introducing the Old Road Wine Co. Elite Range, a selection of ultra-premium regional-specific wines, handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail from vineyard to bottle. From the rugged corners of the Cape’s wine country, blistered by the prevailing South Easter wind, the Cape Doctor as we locals call it, this Chenin Blanc takes its name from the ancient Greek word for ‘wind’. Anemos reveals something of the wild and spiritual nature of this wine’s birthplace.

The grapes are sourced from two expressive west and north-west facing slopes, 420m above sea level, vineyards in Stellenbosch and Durbanville, planted in 1988 and 1983 respectively, in weathered granite soils. Their location on cool mountain slopes facing towards the ocean ensures excellent minerality in the fruit. The vineyards are managed for ultra-premium quality and yield approximately 5 tons per hectare, with hand harvesting taking place at 23 degrees Balling.

In the cellar, the wine is fermented in French oak barrels, of which only 20% is new wood and 80% in older barrels. Predominantly bigger barrels are used as well as Foudres. The wine is left on the gross lees for 8 months, where bâtonnage takes place once a month in the beginning and later is applied less frequently. The wine remains in the barrel for 12 months before being bottled.