Reyneke Chenin Blanc Reserve RAW 2016

The maiden 2016 Reyneke Raw (a working title incidentally, although for reasons I will not explain here I hope they baptize it with another name) comes from a parcel of Chenin Blanc, around 70 years old behind Johan Reyneke's house. Recently they purchased the adjacent vineyard that also contains Chenin Blanc that is around 38 years old. Because 2016 was a tough year in terms of drought, whereby they only yielded three barrels from 4.5 hectares of vine, they have utilized fruit from this newly procured holding. Apparently the pH was 2.9 with a potential alcohol of 13%. It is fermented in barriques with no bâtonnage. "It was so stable that I did not use any SO2, so essentially it is my first natural wine," Johan says. It has a clean and pure bouquet with lemon thyme, orange blossom with hints of nectarine and star fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with quince and dried honey on the entry, that acidity very conspicuous, yet the wine is very well balanced with a long and lightly spiced finish. This has huge pot