Metzer Family Chenin Blanc 2016
- Textural
- South Africa
55 year old chenin blanc vines aren’t a dime a dozen, especially when matched to the fabled Firgrove subregion in Stellenbosch. South Africans scramble for such a site, and Wade Metzer managed to secure this vineyard for his tiny family project.
Profile
Picked on two dates to get the perfect balance of chenin’s acid and texture, it’s a delight. Wild fermentation and seasoned French oak enhance depth and character without distracting from its purity. All stone fruit, spice and just the right amount of rounded, biscuity complexity and a savoury element that takes to straight to the seaside - incidentally, where the vineyard’s planted. This is a wine that you can smash, particularly with a plate of soft cheeses or even a North African tagine with apricots - a bit of north meets south can’t be bad.
Reviews
Christian Eedes
“Wade Metzer of the boutique label Metzer Family Wines has managed to get his hands on a single vineyard of Helderberg Chenin Blanc planted in 1964 and the resulting wine is immensely pleasing. Fermentation occurred spontaneously and maturation lasted seven months in French oak, 10% new. The nose is subtle but complex with notes of naartjie, stone fruit, hay, yellow earth, spice and some yeasty complexity. The palate displays good fruit concentration with coated acidity and a savoury finish. It’s a very well balanced wine that reveals more and more the longer it spends in your glass.”
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- South Africa
- Vintage
- 2016
- Cellaring
- 2023
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 13.1%
- Closure
- Wax-dipped Cork
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 100% Chenin Blanc
- Serving Temp.
- 10.0°C
Tasting
From the producer
The wine offers an understated bouquet that unfolds delicately in the glass, with hints of apple, greengage and yellow stone fruits. The palate is well balanced and offers more of a textural experience than overt flavors. It has a vibrant mineral core with a touch of citrus on the finish leaving the mouth tingling after the wine has departed.
Winemaking
Viticulture
A single-vineyard wine from a bushvine parcel planted in 1964. Picked in two different phases in order to achieve both ripeness and balance in the final wine. The grapes were handpicked in the early morning hours, with bunch selection done in the vineyard.
Crafting
Fruit was cooled down and then gently pressed after a brief period of skin contact. The juice was settled overnight without the use of settling enzymes and from here it was fed directly to French oak barrels (10% new) where fermentation occurred spontaneously. The wine was aged on its lees in barrel for 7 months, with regular batonage. The wine was bottled after a coarse filtration in October 2016.
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...
Goes with
Chicken and sesame salad
Ingredients
- 1 barbecued chicken
- 120g baby spinach, washed, dried
- 1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, cut into thirds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- Dressing
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
Directions
- Remove flesh from chicken. Shred chicken. Place into a bowl. Add spinach, carrot and onions.
- Half-fill a frying pan with water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Add asparagus. Cook until just tender. Drain. Refresh under cold water.
- Make dressing Whisk together orange juice, tahini, and salt and pepper.
- Add asparagus and dressing to chicken mixture. Toss to combine. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.