David & Nadia Skaliekop Chenin Blanc 2019

James Suckling

STEELY CHENIN

When made well, chenin blanc can be stunning, with classic and age-worthy examples from its heartland in France’s Loire Valley. I remember the moment I first truly appreciated the grape while tasting a Saumur Brézé from Guiberteau.

But a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of discovering David & Nadia’s chenin blancs from South Africa. Many of the best wines from the country that we tasted this year were whites from chenin blanc, or “steen,” as it locally known. It’s probably the most exciting grape from the country, particularly from Swartland. And the steely minerality and focus of David & Nadia’s chenins blew me away.

Their regular chenin blanc showed excellent complexity, from yellow and green fruit to aromas of beeswax and sea urchin, but their single-vineyard wines are on the next level. Out of the three we tasted, I was most impressed by David & Nadia Chenin Blanc Swartland Skaliekap Single Vineyard Wine 2020 – a compact, tightly wound white with fantastic flavor concentration and a surprisingly delicious and dry finish. I was struck by the structure and focus of the wine.

It’s clear that the wines have great potential to age, and it would be interesting to taste it again in a decade or two.

– Claire Nesbitt, Associate Editor