Kameraderie, Chenin Blanc, 2021
Kamaraderie has gone through a few different iterations but after losing one of the main vineyards in 2020 due to the drought and wildfires, Lukas has settled on a 46 year old single vineyard Paardeberg Chenin Blanc site, which has yielded a total of 1700bts. Made in the same way as Trust Your Gut, namely, whole cluster pressing and fermented and raised naturally with no interventions in used 500L French barrels. Lukas describes this as his most intellectual white, a wine that people who really understand Chenin will adore. So detailed and intense yet not burly, the acidity has a clearly powdery granitic quality and the touches of herb, hay, hops and nuts really all jostle alongside a beam of tight, cool citrus flavours, jasmine and honeysuckle. A stunner.
critic reviews
The 2021 Kamaraderie, named after Loggerenberg's experience from the co-operation he encountered when he started. The previous vineyard was constantly ransacked by baboons and affected by smoke taint, so this comes from a new vineyard planted in 1978. This nose bides its time, so don't be afraid to decant this, unfurling with wild peach, honeysuckle and jasmine scents, but quite discrete. The palate is very well balanced with fine acidity, wonderful depth, slightly waxy in texture with dried mango, kumquat and stem ginger mixed with rhubarb towards the persistent finish. After missing in action in 2020, this is a strong comeback.