Certified Old Vines
Heritage Chenin Blanc
Historically known as Steen, meaning ‘stone’ in Afrikaans, Chenin Blanc thrives in the stony soils of this Certified Heritage Vineyard, planted in 1976. The gnarled old vines are treated with the same care and respect as the retired mules who spent their golden years grazing in the adjacent paddock, after which the vineyard is named.
50 years | 1.7 ha
Treated With Care & Respect
All The Facts
Let’s Get Technical
Unpack what goes into producing an old vine wine of this calibre at Bellevue Wine Estate.
Viticulture
From a Certified Heritage Vineyard planted in 1976, with low-yielding bush vines that are irrigated when necessary. These Chenin Blanc vines thrive in sandy loam soil on a southern slope in rows that are strategically aligned in a north-south orientation.
Vinification
This wine is a 100% French oak, barrel fermented and matured Chenin Blanc. Following the first fermentation, an enzymatic autolysis is added to enhance aromatic complexity and mouthfeel. The wine then stays in the barrels for selected bâtonnage and rolling of the barrels, to manipulate the lees contact. The wine then remains in barrel for 10 months until bottling the following year.
Pour Yourself A Glass
Uncork It
This premium wine shows an opulent expression of stone fruit that showcases concentrated notes of sun-ripened peach and apricot, followed by a bright, lingering touch of yellow apple. A savoury mid-palate of toasted almond and biscuit provides a sophisticated structure.
Citrus Peel
Yellow Apple
Stone Fruit
Wine Analysis:
STYLE/TASTE
Sun-ripened peach and apricot
ALCOHOL
13.06%
HARVEST DATE
6 Feb 2025
APPELLATION
Stellenbosch
AGING POTENTIAL
5 Years
CASES PRODUCED
181
Wilhelm Kritzinger
About The Vines By The Winemaker
These Chenin Blanc bush vines were planted in 1976, and the vineyard is fondly known by the workers as “Eselgraf”. The name, translated from Afrikaans, amusingly references the neighbouring open field that served as the final resting place of the donkeys that once toiled the land.
