Chenin Blanc Steen Op Out 2018 – Mulderbosch

Founded in 1989, multi-award winning Mulderbosch Vineyards is one of South Africa’s foremost wine producers. As advocates to the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) code, they manage their vineyards limiting the use of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. They use a restrained approach in the cellar to produce distinctive and characterful wines that represent the Stellenbosch terroir. Chenin Blanc is the Cape’s signature variety and they have the largest planting of this variety in the world. In 1996, Mulderbosch was one of the very first producers in the Cape to ferment Chenin Blanc in barriques. The resultant wine garnered an avid following and Mulderbosch has since become synonymous with the variety. The vineyards vary in age from five years old to 35 years old. Significantly, they are all within a range two to eight miles from the Atlantic Ocean at False Bay, and as such are strongly influenced by a maritime climate, which plays a crucial role in the ultimate wine’s freshness and poise.

Chenin Blanc

It is versatile in style and sweetness and has the ability to adapt to a wide variety of tastes.
Chenin Blanc makes lithe, dry summer whites and sparkling wines. It also offers oak-aged styles with similar flavors to Chardonnay. Thus, there really is a Chenin Blanc wine for every occasion; could be dry, sweet and sparkling.
The largest producer is South Africa.
In South Africa, it’s sometimes blended with Semillon, Viognier, and Marsanne to make a richer-styled wine similar to an oaked Chardonnay but with a sweeter taste. Also in South Africa, it’s blended with a Sauvignon Blanc to create a fresh and zesty dry wine.