Avondale Anima Chenin Blanc 2022

Anima comes from Avondale, a certified organic estate the Grieve family bought in 1997 in WO Paarl, in South Africa's Coastal Region. The vineyards sit on decomposed granite beneath a vast granite outcrop, free draining soils that stress the vines and concentrate the fruit, while ocean air off the Cape moderates the summer heat and holds the natural acidity that Chenin Blanc keeps even at ripeness. The wine spends twelve months on its lees in barrel. That extended lees contact releases mannoproteins into the wine, building a broader, rounder texture and a subtle savoury depth, while the barrel adds slow oxygen exchange and a light spice rather than obvious oak. The style is dry and old vine in character. Expect a deep straw colour, a nose of baked pear, honey and marzipan with a waxy, almost lanolin edge typical of the grape, and a full palate of apple, beeswax and toasted almond. The finish is long and mineral. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a larger white glass to open the texture.