Our first allocation of Lukas’ evocatively named “Trust Your Gut” Chenin Blanc has turned out to be a belter! In Lukas’ words, the 2019 vintage, although low yielding due to the long-term effects of the drought has the “best acidities I’ve ever seen in whites, with beautiful low pHs.” A blend of two parcels, 73% from a forty year old vineyard on the Paardeberg Mountain (Swartland) abutting Eben Sadie’s farm; a prized source not just for Lukas but for Eben and Donovan Rall too, and 27% from the starry Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch – the home of some of South Africa’s most exciting young guns. The decomposed granite of the Paardeberg brings with it elegance, finesse and focus, while the harder granite of the Polkadraai lends yellow fruit and a mouth filling richness to the wine. Whole bunch pressed and fermented naturally in 3rd fill French oak barrels, the parcels are vinified separately and left to age for 10 months on the primary lees with no battonage before blending and bottling. Malolactic fermentation is blocked in order “to retain length in the wine”. The name “Trust Your Gut” stems from Lukas’ belief that “we all have this inner instinct telling us what to do and sometimes you really just have to trust your gut to tell you what the right move is.” A Loire-style Chenin Blanc blessed with a bit of South African sunshine, the ’19 is a beautifully measured white with tangy, creamy stone fruit, lemon, toasted notes and a saline finish.