Chenin Blanc, Veiling, Cape Winemakers Guild, 2021

An intense, jostling Chenin that while present stops short of being showy. Packed with white berries, golden apples, honey, citrus fruits, blossom with an overall crystalline quality, it’s not a lavish wine, more about detail and intellectual focus, much like David Sadie himself. Veiling means ‘auction’ in Afrikaans. Produced from a blend of highly acclaimed single vineyard sites: 50% Skaliekop, 40% Plat Bos and 10% Hoe-Steen. A combination of bass and high notes, the grapes were cooled and hand-sorted before being whole cluster pressed, fermented spontaneously in used French oak barrels for 11 months on the fine lees. Only 50 cases were submitted to the auction.