Jordan Inspector Peringuey Chenin Blanc 2024

Jordan Wine Estate produces this varietal Chenin Blanc in the Coastal Region of South Africa, under the WO Stellenbosch appellation. The estate sits on decomposed granite hillsides, and the maritime influence off False Bay tempers the Cape summer, so the grapes ripen fully while holding their acidity. The wine is named after Louis Albert Péringuey, inspector general of Cape vineyards in the 19th century, who led the response to phylloxera and understood the imported American rootstock. After the harvest the wine is aged on its lees, and the slow autolysis releases mannoproteins that add a rounder texture and carry the fruit across the palate. At 14 percent it is a fuller style of Chenin, with a golden colour and a nose of ripe white peach, pear and melon behind a honeyed, beeswax character. The palate is broad but kept fresh by a lemon acidity that runs to a clean finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass. It suits roast pork, grilled chicken and firmer white fish, and has the weight for a hard, nutty cheese.