Badenhorst Family Wines, Secateurs, Chenin Blanc, South Africa, 2019

“Pale gold in color, the 2019 Secateurs Chenin Blanc offers aromas of sweet citrus, honeysuckle, yellow apple skin, pears and a subtle dusty essence at heart. Medium-bodied, the wine shows flavors of waxy melon, pineapple husk, almond butter and Meyer lemon before revealing a line of bright acidity through the mid-palate. Ending with a lingering finish, this is food-friendly and has me daydreaming of shellfish”- Wine Advocate

The Chenin grapes for Secateurs mostly come from the Badenhorst family farm, Kalmoesfontein, situated on the northern side of the Paardeberg Mountain. Neighboring vineyards also supply some exceptional old vine fruit. All of the fruit comes from old un-irrigated bushvines grown on a variety of granite soils that are naturally low yielding. Most of the Chenin vines were planted the late 1960’s to mid-1970’s, and tend to yield around 4 tons/ha. The grapes are hand picked with great care and chilled overnight in a cold room. The following day they are whole bunch pressed to a settling tank. These vineyards were picked over a period of 12 days and each day fresh juice was added to the already fermenting tanks. This extended the alcoholic fermentation by about 20 days but was also very important in the complete integration of the various vineyards or components. Some of the juice is also fermented in older casks and big foudres; around 25% of the total.