Villiera, Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2022

91
Tasted by: Amy Wislocki
(at WeWork, London SE1, 08 May 2023)
Drinking Window: 2023 - 2027
Majestic has secured a small quantity of this wine for the second vintage running, and it's likely to be out of stock by the end of July so act fast if you're in the market for a great-value, full-bodied New World expression of Chenin. The fruit used is from vines planted in 1985, picked ripe to ensure richness and structure. The wine saw 80% skin contact, the remainder whole-bunch pressed, fermented in large-format (400-litre) French oak barrels, 30% new, before ageing on lees for eight months. The yellow-gold colour in the glass is a clue to what follows: an intensely flavoured mouthful, the lees ageing giving salted butter on toast character. This isn't a subtle, restrained wine and the alcohol is punchy, but it's harmonious, well-made and well-priced for an old-vine Chenin. (Mix-six price: £12.99)
Villiera, Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2022
Producer
Villiera
Brand
Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc
Vintage
2022
Wine Type
Still
Colour
White
Country
South Africa
Region
Stellenbosch
Sweetness
Dry
Closure
Screwcap
Alcohol
14.90%
Body
Medium
Grapes