2019 Plat'Bos Chenin Blanc

The 2019 Chenin Blanc Plat'bos offers attractive peach skin and Conference pear notes on the nose, along with wax resin and pressed white flowers. The palate is well balanced with the most concentration of David and Nadia Sadie's Chenins, and more salinity toward the finish too. Give this 2–3 years in bottle, as there is plenty of potential here.

The 2019 Plat’bos Single Vineyard (pure Chenin Blanc) has a wonderful bouquet of honeysuckle, jasmine, pine forest and hints of clementine; it gains intensity with aeration. The palate is wonderfully balanced with supremely well-judged acidity, and entertains a flor -like edge on the finish that enhances complexity and politely stays in the background. This is a fascinating and quite delicious Chenin from David and Nadia Sadie.

The second vintage of the Plat’bos Chenin Blanc, planted next to the Skaliekop vineyard on decomposed granite. Planted in 1981 on the Sadies' Paardebosch farm, this vineyard contributes to both their principal varietal Chenin Blanc as well as the Aristargos blend and the plan is for it to continue to do so. They have been farming this vineyard since winter 2013 and view it as 'a pillar in our granite approach towards our white wines'. Harvested in the second half of January, being one of the earliest Chenin Blanc vineyards they work with, planted on a warm northern slope. Yield was just 1.4 tonnes per ha. Plat’bos qualifies for the Old Vine Project (OVP) seal. TA 6.5 g/l, pH 3.26, RS 1.9 g/l, total SO2 94 mg/l. Total production 2,000 bottles. The nose demonstrates the honey spectrum of Chenin Blanc, enlivened by the high tones so often associated with granite. This may not have that much alcohol but it has masses of extract and light chewiness. Very serious wine. Really burrows into the upper cavities of the palate. Really gets the appetite going; would make a sophisticated aperitif. Excellent acidity. This wine will surely have a long life. (JR)