The grapes are from a vineyard in Blewitt Springs planted to Chenin Blanc in 1933. I can’t imagine there’s a lot of Chenin Blanc vines in Australia that can compete with that.
“You don’t often hear ‘old vine and hand picked’ in the same sentence as Chenin,” winemaker Chris Thomas said. “This vineyard is a survivor in the truest sense. It was going to be grafted to Chardonnay in the 1970s by the previous owner, who then became ill and the vineyard was left to do its own thing for many years. With that, it has a crazy labyrinth of trunks. It defied trends to survive and defies shortcuts simply because it is impossible to machine harvest.”
Quite a story. This is a riper, fuller Dowie Doole Chenin than I’ve seen in the past. Some slightly stewed fruits and tropical notes accompany the more expected pear and apple flavours. A bit of body and weight here but there’s enough acidity to pull it off. A little sweet spice. Doesn’t finish quite as confidently as I’d like but it offers something different at an affordable price. 87
Region: McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 13.0%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $18
Tasted: June 2013