Wine of the Week: Knorhoek Chenin Blanc 2022

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc

An old-vine chenin with oak-aged complexity and oodles of character.

There’s a reason everyone is talking about old-vine chenin. These precious pockets of vineyards, planted back in the 1980s (or earlier) have so many stories to tell in the bottle. As the winemaker entrusted with the fruits of a special block of Old Vine Project-certified chenin in the Knorhoek Valley (on the slopes of the Simonsberg near Stellenbosch), cellarmaster Schalk Opperman of Quoin Rock and Knorhoek really appreciates this.

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc Wine

“We are privileged to have this block,” he says. “It’s been here all these years, from 1980 when it was planted. It just gives you a little bit of extra substance in a wine, beautiful fruit and beautiful minerality, and a lot more complexity than some of our younger blocks.”

Filled with character

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc Vineyard

Schalk says farm manager and viticulturalist, Nico Walters, refers to this block as The Gallery, “It’s actually quite a rough-looking vineyard; it’s the only vineyard that doesn’t have perfect trellising, and it’s not homogeneous, but it’s an artwork in its own right… old vines, thick stems, it’s a really, really nice block with its own unique look and character.”

At 10 hectares, it’s quite a big block with significant variations within it, which is where the farm’s philosophy of small-batch winemaking comes into play, especially at harvest time. “Within this big block, there’s quite a lot of differences from the top to the bottom and from west to east in terms of ripening times, fruit profiles, etc,” says Schalk. “So we put in a lot of effort at this time of year. We walk up and down the rows in that entire block almost every day.”

These daily walks result in selecting certain spots with similar qualities that they can pick together in loads of four to six tonnes at a time. Then they press them separately and age them separately in the cellar. “So come blending time, we have all the salt and pepper and spices and stuff that we need to put a nice complex wine together,” he says.

Time on oak

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc Bottle

Selective oak ageing plays an important role, Schalk says. “As it’s an old-vine wine with that structure and that intense fruit and minerality, it can really handle the oak. We use mainly French oak in 500-litre barrel sizes, but also quite a bit of Hungarian and Austrian oak these days. And then also, of course, the bigger-size tanks like the foudres and concrete eggs. So again, building that complexity. This year we’ve added amphora for the first time, just to have another element, and we’ll see how that goes.”

The wine is aged for a minimum of 10 months, blended, and bottled for further ageing for at least six months.

Awards + accolades

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc Awards

The Knorhoek Chenin Blanc 2022 has cleaned up at the various awards, winning Double Golds at Gilbert & Gaillard, National Wine Challenge, and Vitis Vinifera; Gold at Concours Mondial Bruxelles; 4 stars in Platters; 93 points in the Tim Atkin Report; 95 points in Winemag Prescient Old Vine Report; and a coveted place in the Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge. And also a trophy at the inaugural Fine Wine Awards for best Chenin Blanc in South Africa.

The tasting notes speak of stone fruits, succulent peach, apricot, and zesty lime interplaying seamlessly with hints of melon, green apple, and elegant white pear. And an integrated, slightly robust structure that lingers harmoniously, underscoring the symphony of flavours.

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc Pairing

The oak makes it an excellent food wine (perfect for a fresh Waldorf salad, for chicken, duck or pork and for pizza), but you can also happily drink it as it is. “It’s beautiful, the complexity, along with the acidity and that yellow fruit,” Schalk says.
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Disclaimer:

The Inside Guide has made every effort to ensure that the information in this post was correct at the time of publication. However, we do not assume any liability caused by errors, such as price, cost, time, and location.

Time of publication: 29 January 2025