Granietsteen Chenin Blanc 2024

Scions of Sinai, Granietsteen Chenin Blanc 2024

With Scions of Sinai, Bernhard Bredell crafts wines that are entirely focused on the soils of the Lower Helderberg in South Africa. This Chenin Blanc comes from a single vineyard with vines planted in 1978, on weathered granite just a stone's throw from the ocean.

What you smell
White peach, citrus blossom, and a dry, stony note reminiscent of salty air.

What you taste
Tight and precise, with layered yellow fruit and a crisp, acidic body that gives the wine length. The finish is savory with a slightly salty edge. No butter, no richness: this is Chenin that thrives on tension.

How it's made
Hand-harvested, spontaneous fermentation, aged in old barrels. Everything is aimed at letting the grape and the granite soil speak, not the wood.

Serve
Between 10 and 12°C in a large white wine glass. Give it a few minutes in the glass, then the stony undertone will open up further.

Pairs well with

• Pan-fried sole with lemon butter: the wine's saline undertone complements the fish's iodine notes, and the freshness cuts through the butter.
• Fresh oysters: mineral on mineral, the crisp acidity keeps it light and lively.
• Risotto with asparagus and smoked trout: the subtle smoke and slight bitterness of asparagus find a counterbalance in the wine's ripe fruit.