Mother Rock Chenin Blanc Force Celeste Swartland 2022 750ml

ABOUT The ‘Force Celeste’ Chenin Blanc has always been about freshness and drinkability, and the 2022 vintage is no different. Since the 2020 vintage, Stompie has made this wine in his cellar at the new home of Mother Rock and JH Meyer Wines, Platteklip Farm on the Piketberg Mountain in northern Swartland. While he waits for the vines he has planted to mature, he continues to source his grapes from other growers. Moving away from the Paardeberg this vintage, Stompie is sourcing the grapes from a single site in Malmesbury. The grapes were hand-harvested starting in mid-January into small lug-boxes, limiting the damage to the grape in larger bins. They were harvested at different sugar levels to insure good pH and acid from the early picking with powerful structure and aromas from riper batches. The majority of the grapes were whole-bunch pressed with full lees to stainless-steel with about 25% of the grapes being destemmed and fermented on their skins for a month, prior to being pressed to stainless-steel. Fermentation occurred naturally and at cooler temperatures (57°F) without any additions and after ten months of aging the components were blended to tank and settled naturally. The wines were bottled without fining or filtration, and just a very light sulfuring for stability. DATA Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc Vineyard: Malmesbury Vine Age: 17-years-old Soil Type: Decomposed granitic sand intermixed with fractured clay Viticulture: Practicing Organic – dry-farmed Fermentation: Native – stainless-steel Skin Contact: 25% - four weeks on skins in stainless-steel Aging: 10 months in stainless-steel Alcohol: 11% pH: 3.36 Total Acidity: 5.8 g/L Total SO2: 25 ppm Total Production: 833 cases TASTING NOTE Semi-orange with a bit of skin contact. Zesty and fresh nose with aromas of apples, pears and rain soaked stones. The palate is silky, gripping texture (from the skin contact) and quite fresh with an herbal edge and pear notes reemerging. The finish is a dichotomy between a mouthful or rocks and slated fresh herbs, a touch of tannin and mouthwatering acidity.