The Perdeberg Courageous Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc is one of the many Chenin Blancs from the Home of Chenin Blanc, Perdeberg. I opened one of these bottles in my cellar after a 12-bottle wine tasting, and it was so impressive! Shortly after, I curated mixed cases for an online wine shop and included this wine as part of the mixed case – the feedback was that it was a hit! It is worthwhile to mention quite early on that this is a wine that overdelivers much for its price of about R150 a bottle. So, you won’t have a mouth-watering review that leaves you with a massive price!
The Courageous Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc is a product of dry land farming (no irrigation allowed) in Paarl. Small berries from bush vines delivers this highly concentrated wine. In the glass, it has a golden yellow colour with a slight green edge. I poured this wine in my glass and put the bottle back in the fridge, just to realise that I am smelling the bouquet of the wine in my glass at a distance of two metres. Talk about forthcoming!
On the nose, there is a great complexity of rich tropical fruit, fresh apricots, citrus, yellow flowers, quince, honey, green herbs and perfume. This wine has a high complexity, from the moment that it enters your palate. It is rich, but with a bold acidity and freshness. It develops very quickly into a soft and waxy mouthfeel, but ends again with a fresh finish. Concentrated flavours of fresh apricots, quince, yellow pears, honey and a hint of pineapple play around on the mid-palate. It ends with a long finish and a stone minerality.
The fruit-forwardness of this wine creates a perception that it is sweet. However, it is dry with ripe fruit-forward notes. The barrel fermentation adds to the complexity of this wine in earthy notes. It is certainly a wine that will please a diverse group of Chenin Blanc drinkers. If you have not tasted this wine before, I recommend that you obtain it as soon as possible and enjoy chilled.
This wine will pair well with poultry, pasta, seafood and sushi. Although it is good to drink now, it has a cellaring potential of 5-7 years. This wine is the true expression of the expression of Chenin Blanc in South Africa, it is vegan friendly and the dry land farming is an environmentally-friendly approach to agriculture. Well done to an amazing wine!
Producer: Perdeberg Wines
Variety: Chenin Blanc 100%
Vintage: 2021
Origin: Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa
Winemaker: Natalie Kühne
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.47%
RS: 4.3g/l
Average price: R150
Rating: 95/100

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