2019 Cartology Chenin Blanc/ Semillon

90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Sémillon. Crystallised ginger, honey, lemon, apricot and a good dollop of cream. Lighter than many Cape Chenins, no overt oak, rounded acid, chewy texture, very savoury persistence. (RH)

The 2019 Cartology was whole-bunch-pressed and matured in cement eggs, amphorae, foudres and used barrels, fermented for between three weeks and 11 months, and kept on the lees for 12 months. It has a sublime and utterly captivating bouquet of honeysuckle, white peach and flecks of white chocolate and orange peel, all beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp entry, offering vivid scents of citrus peel, lime, orange zest and stem ginger toward a finish that fans out with brio. Another outstanding Cartology from Chris Alheit.

Such a special wine from Chris and Suzaan Alheit, a 2012 wine of the week chosen by Julia. 90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Sémillon, old-vine, bush vines chosen with extreme care from multiple sources. Ambient yeast. Certified Heritage Vineyards . Such intensity! Salty beeswax on the nose and some green notes (Sémillon?) streak the liquid honey (though it's a bone-dry wine) and real grip on the inside of the palate. Very tense but with masses of fruit. Still very youthful but it's rather difficult to resist. Really throbs for ages on the finish. My only complaint? That the Diam stopper they use expanded so rapidly after being extracted that I couldn't get it back in a few minutes after pulling it. I should imagine that this wine will last for weeks in an opened bottle. (JR)