Chenin Blanc; something for the Adventurous

The largest producer of Chenin Blanc is South Africa (around 50% of all plantings), however it originates from France and there are many great examples of it in the Loire. But the South Africans have taken to it as their national white grape. This doesn’t mean it is always treated with the respect it deserves! It often over cropped and blend to make cheap bulk wines. The wine is usually made into 2 styles a dry style with lots of tart pear and apple notes and some ginger spice and a slightly off dry style, with richer flavors of ripe pear, passion fruit, and honeycomb.

Mulderboscch ‘Steen op Hout’ Chenin Blanc 2017 €17.95

Sourced from mature vines grown predominantly in Stellenbosch, with one component being grown in Darling. This is a great example of richly flavoured Chenin Blanc from an excellent vintage. It has wonderful ripeness yet retains freshness and vibrancy from the first nose right through to the lasting finish. Ripe tropical aromas of mango, pineapple and papaya are lifted by a crisp, refreshing apple note. The palate is defined by a delicious fine mineral texture leading onto a succulent mid-palate. The final impression is one of a full flavoured, yet precisely poised Chenin Blanc. Equally lovely with roast chicken as with baked fish or just pair with good friends

 

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A returning hero!

When I first started working in Woodberrys there was one white wine that had a diehard cult following, Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, but unfortunately within a short space of time the company importing the wine had folded, thanks to the Great Recession.  Over the years at trade shows we have tasted the wine, which is a good as the memory every time! We have left cards with people at stands, but it was only this year that someone came back to us, and now we are proud to announce the return of a hero.

Raise a glass to Mulderbosch Sauvignon and its stable partners. Since its founding in 1989, Mulderbosch Vineyards has widely been accepted as one of South Africa’s foremost wine producers. Since the first vintage in 1992, Mulderbosch has endeavored to represent innovation, flair and excellence producing quality wines from South Africa’s Stellenbosch and Western Cape winemaking regions.

In a cool corner of Stellenbosch, some of South Africa’s best white wines – Chenin Blanc in particular, but also Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay – are produced by Adam Mason and his team. In recent years, the quality has been refined in special releases such as single-vineyard Chenins Blancs, while the label also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé made from grapes grown for the purpose (not left over from red winemaking), a noble-rot dessert wine and Bordeaux-style blends under its Faithful Hound label. See thee full range of Mulderbosch wines here.