Aristargos, Swartland, 2021

The Aristargos 2021 is yet again predominantly both Chenin Blanc and Old Vines driven (Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, Clairette blanche and Colombard), and the focus remains on the granitic soils of the Paardeberg. Planting dates vary from 1960 to 2013. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented and then matured for 11 months in old neutral French oak barrels. The grapes from the two Sémilllon vineyards were fermented on their skins for a week before being pressed and matured in a very old 2 500 L foudre for a year. The Colombard was also fermented on the skins (for 5 days) and matured in an old oak barrel. One Chenin Blanc component was fermented and matured in a concrete egg. In total the grapes from 19 different vineyards were used, picked on 21 different dates. Fuller bodied with a fine weave of acidity, the Aristargos 2021 combines yellow fruits with some green fruits and honey, just a touch of smoke and herb and a light grip on the finish bringing a sense of structure and poise.