Tasting Notes
Our old favourite, Moment of Silence. Chenin Blanc, incorporating some old vine Chenin Blanc, and Viognier, fermented and aged in a mix of old oak barrels, amphora and concrete tanks.. Stunning fruit - golden delicious apples, apricots and ripe pears with a lovely lift of acidity on the finish. BLANK BOTTLE at its very best. It is an amazing value wine. I am a big fan of this 2023 vintage, which has just landed. It strikes me as having excellent energy. It's taut and nicely knit on the palate, while still having the generosity of fruit both on the nose and the palate. It's perhaps a little cooler and fresher in style than in the past, with just a hint more balancing acidity that gives the wine more length on the finish, and still full of the joy of flavour that we are used to with this wine.
More Info
Every one of Pieter’s wines is a story, rather than a grape variety, and it’s the juice inside the bottle which reveals that story. He doesn’t own any vines, but instead scours South Africa’s winelands for top-quality fruit that has somehow slipped under the radar, now sourcing from nearly 70 sites. Some years he’ll make 20 wines, other years 35. With the benefit of anonymity, variety and regional identity take a back seat while parcel expression does the driving. These are some of South Africa’s most original wines, made by one of South Africa’s most original winemakers. Pieter is getting better as a winemaker and has more say and control in the vineyards than ever before. That's a significant investment but it means the quality of fruit is higher. He was also joined by Xander Sadie in the cellar the year before last. Xander is the son of celebrated winemaker Eben Sadie and for a young guy, already very well travelled in wine, and with a lot of tasting experience.