Alheit Vineyards Nautical Dawn Chenin Blanc 2022

“Nautical Dawn has only been made as a single vineyard release since 2017, but has garnered deservedly high praise. Using grapes from a 1978 vineyard close to the ocean on the granite outcrop of the Sinai Hill, this is a Chenin Blane that supersedes its vintage with steely intensity, lots of stony minerality, notes of kelp and sea salt, lemon and lime fruit and a savoury, umami-like finish.” – 98 points Tim Atkin

Nautical Dawn is a single origin Chenin blanc wine. Since its maiden vintage in 2017 it has helped to showcase the raw talent of the False Bay coast of Stellenbosch – a vital part of the Cape Chenin story. The wine has quite an extreme personality. Even with early picking, this vineyard delivers huge flavour with intense concentration and ripping natural acid.

On Rustenhof farm in Firgrove (southern Stellenbosch) there’s a small granite hill called Sinai. The crown of the hill has a few small granite domes protruding from the soil. From up there you can see the waves breaking only 4kms away. The hillside is planted from top to bottom with dry farmed bushvine Chenin Blanc. Nautical Dawn is made from a parcel planted in 1978 on the upper part of the slope. The vine rows run with the contour of the hill. The granite soil is shallow and warms quickly, causing this to be one of our earliest picks of the season, despite the relentless South-East wind.

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