Naude Old Vines Soutbos White 2023

This stunning new white blend from Naude Family Wines represents the culmination of many years of work Ian Naude has spent constructing and perfecting intricate, complex and age worthy white blends. More latterly, Ian has built an iconic reputation for some of the most eye-catching Old Vine Chenin Blancs produced in South Africa before moving his attention to championing Old Vine Colombard vineyards up the West Coast. This new white draws on all Ian’s experience and expertise to assemble an incredibly fresh, tight knit, minerally driven white wine. A blend of 83% Chenin Blanc from a vineyard planted in 1988 and 17% Colombard from a vineyard planted in 1985, has seen Ian create his first new white blend since 2010 from these two noble West Coast Vredendal vineyards.

Crystalline and fresh in the glass, the aromatics show incredibly subtle notes of lemon peel zest, grapefruit, white peach, honeydew melon and Granny Smith apples with underlying hints of dried guava roll, sweet herbs and cream soda rock candy. Fresh, intense and mouth coating, this is an intriguing white blend that combines the vibrancy and exuberance of Old Vine Colombard with the more herbal, mineral and textural aspects of Chenin Blanc. Undoubtedly, the standout features remain the incredible balance, seamless texture and maritime kelpy salinity. Like all of Ian’s red and white wines, his attention to detail is simply extraordinary, marking this white blend as one of the most exciting and thought-provoking new releases on the South African white wine landscape since possibly the launch of Eben Sadie’s Old Vine Skerpioen. Drink and enjoy its freshness on release and revisit over the next 10 to 15+ years. 97 points – Greg Sherwood MW