The Tea Leaf Chenin Blanc

Bottle notes

Complex sandy stone fruit nose with notes of crushed granite, slightly saline and wait… is that Rooibos I can smell?! Palate has firm, high-key fruit, a broad texture and quiet persistence that persists and persists. Ultimately this is a deeply satisfying single vineyard, ancient vine block with a genuinely unique terroir feel and character from an unforgettably surprising vineyard.

2013 was our 22nd vintage in South Africa. Thanks to long-standing relationships with growers, we have been able to consistently source the best parcels of fruit and successfully establish the Boutinot South Africa style and standard always developing and improving quality. This means working in the vineyards, selecting the best sites, overseeing the winemaking. Responsibility for this task now falls to our South African winemaker Marinda Kruger Van Eck and our range encompasses three different and very characterful styles - Cape Heights, Percheron & Mon Vieux. We are proud "affineurs of wines" in the Cape and dedicated to continuing to produce versatile, expressive, food-friendly wines from this fascinating region.

Technically, these are 70 year old bush vines but classified as 40 y/o (because at this time, classification wasn’t the ‘thing’). This single rocky slope is also home to South Africa’s highest rated Grenache block and grows hug-a-mug with the regions indigenous rooibos tea. Because rooibos cannot be cultivated and only grows wild, where it does grow, even it that be in the middle of your ancient Chenin block, you have to let it be!

The fruit is stolen away at night or in the small hours of the morning in a chilled grocery truck, had sorted at Zorgvliet winery by Donovan Rall. It’s then naturally fermented in old old wooden barrels and steel, portions of which take up to 10 months to compete. Finally, the wine is gently racked and bottled - only 4000 bottles in total.

Quiches, frittatas and omelettes; simply cooked fish dishes, scallops, salt and pepper squid or fishcakes; light seafood pasta dishes and risottos; salads or sushi.

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