Decanter om:
Chenin Blanc Hoë-Steen
The oldest single vineyard that David and Nadia work with was planted in 1968 near Darling, its soils rich in iron and clay, overlaying limestone. It's not 100% Chenin – some old vines of Palomino, Semillon and Clairette remain here, plus a few other varieties. But so few that the wine remains within its rights to be varietally labelled as Chenin Blanc. The windy, late-ripening site shows in the wine, which is rich, textural and powerful, but without any fat or sense of heaviness. It delivers hints of just-ripe citrus, green olive and a muscular, waxy palate with intriguing notes of greengage, bitter orange, aloe vera and Vaseline. There is an understated, magnetic allure to Hoë-Steen’s sculpted muscularity, which demands more attention from the drinker than the other single-vineyard wines, but ultimately rewards that effort. Hugely long, with a mouth-coating finish, it’s a profound, cerebral Chenin – layered, complex and as weighty and cool as a block of marble.