Tasting Notes:
The Power of Love Chenin Blanc. This is a vibrant, fruit driven wine with refreshing aromas and flavours of citrus, white pear, quince, melon and lingering yellow peaches supported by a zippy acidity on the finish.
Food Match:
To be enjoyed with friends as an aperitif.
Region/Producer: The Power of Love Chenin Blanc
They call themselves ‘Rebels of the Vine’ and are pushing the boundaries of a traditional industry and having fun with their wines as seen by their labels. Based in the quaint village of Franschhoek, Kevin, Jacques and Raymond came together to combine their diverse skills and creativity to make great wine. They took inspiration from their surnames to become the Black Elephant Vintners – Swart and Ndlovu become `Black Elephant` and Jacques is the Vintner! Their wines are inspired by good tunes and they firmly believe that music and wine make the best pairing – far from traditional and very Rock ‘n’ Roll!
Franschhoek is a broad vineyard lined valley in the southeast corner of Paarl, within the western cape. The vineyards are protected from oceanic influences by the mountains to the south, which also trap southerly cooling winds, lengthening the growing season. Grapes have been planted in the region since the late 1600s, when exiled French Huguenots brought over their viticulture to South Africa and settled in this area, Franschhoek which translates in Dutch to `French corner`. The hot climate here typically shows full bodied, complex reds and rich, fruit driven whites, there is also the association of Cap Classique production to this region. Culturally the area is known for its hospitality, music and variety of festivals.
Each vineyard is harvested and vinified separately to ensure maximum complexity. All their fruit is hand-picked in the early morning and handled reductively to preserve the fruit’s integrity. After destemming, a period of skin contact is allowed according to chemical analysis, phenolic and flavour ripeness. 3 days of cold settling follow a light pressing to clarify the juice. A maximum of 600l/ton is recovered at this stage. Each vineyard is inoculated with selected yeast to match its flavour profile. Fermentation lasts for 21-30 days at 13-16°C. 2 Months of full lees contact, with regular stirring, is allowed post-fermentation to add richness and texture to the wine. The components are then blended and stabilised before bottling. 3 months on its primary lees with batonnage weekly.
For more information about the producers: https://bevintners.co.za/
