2019 Keermont, Chenin Blanc, Riverside, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Critics reviews
The 2019 Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard Series Riverside comes from a heritage block planted in 1971. Matured in seasoned oak for 12 months, it has a tightly wound nose on the entry with light oily/linseed aromas and hints of yellow plum developing with aeration. The palate has a lovely balance and is slightly waxy in texture with fine acidity, yellow plum, hints of toffee apple and caramelised pear. Fine length, this is a Chenin that deserves bottle age.
A tip-off from Robert Parker during my first trip to the Cape prompted me to visit Keermont. Winemaker Alex Starey, who started in 2007, is the driving force behind one of the finest producers in Stellenbosch, tucked down in the Blaauwklippen Valley. After he had given me what must be the most convincing argument about why I should risk my life on a surfboard, Starey outlined the developments since I last visited. “We have replaced a couple of virus-ed older blocks,” he replied. “But there’s been no change in the winemaking. I feel that the vineyards are maturing nicely and are showing more character, developing more natural acidity and losing youthful puppy fat. We are experimenting with more sustainable techniques in the vineyard, eliminating herbicides and planting clover to compete with weeds.
The clovers grow until Christmas and die off when the soils are dry. In the winery, we have never inoculated and used natural acids.” Starey is one of several who told me the pandemic actually saw a boost in domestic sales, at least when permitted by authorities. Readers should note that Keermont tend to release their red wines late, so the focus here was on vintages between 2016 and 2019, the whites more recent. These wonderful wines reflect their respective vintages, studded with numerous highs such as the 2017 Topside Syrah and 2016 Amphitheatre, not forgetting one of the Cape’s finest sweet wines: their Fleurfontein. Keermont has built a loyal following Stateside for good reason.
Drink 2025 - 2040
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (September 2022)
Displaying a broad and expressive nose, the 2019 Riverside Chenin Blanc begins with hints of oak before showing aromas of wax melon essence, soft notes of toasted almonds and sautéed lemon skin. Medium-bodied but with fantastic weight, the wine offers succulent acidity on the palate and a citrus-driven, mineral-laced finish. Only 3,700 bottles were produced after the wine rested for 12 months on the lees in a mix of new and used French oak barrels. Bravo!
Drink 2023 - 2030
Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
Planted to Chenin Blanc in 1971, Riverside is the oldest vineyard in the Keermont portfolio; the vines here sit at 250m and produce restricted yields of high quality. Made from selected parcels of grapes, fermentation occurred using indigenous yeasts, and the wine spent 11 months on the lees in seasoned French oak barrels of 225L and 500L.
Greg Sherwood MW: Perfumed and peachy with a lifted top note, bathroom soap, sun lotion and an apple-melon mélange on the palate.
Beverley Blanning MW: Fresh, bright, juicy-fruited wine with lovely balance and fine texture, light oak tannins and gentle fruit. Understated and restrained, this wine is ageing beautifully.
Roger Jones: Rosebuds and violets on the front, hints of tangerine but restrained, clean and focused, some bitterness and spice on the mid-palate while the perfume continues to evolve.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Greg Sherwood MW, Beverley Blanning MW, Roger Jones, Decanter.com (January 2023)
About this WINE
Keermont Vineyards
Keermont intends to create wines that reflect the beautiful place from which they come and the particular year’s vintage conditions. The wines are made as naturally as possible with very little vineyard irrigation and minimal intervention in the winery.
The estate has been owned by the Wraith family since 2003. Two thousand and five saw the start of a significant vineyard-planting programme on lands that had been fallow for several years. Seventeen hectares were planted over four years to add to an existing eight hectares of older vineyards. Keermont’s official maiden vintage came in 2007.
The farm is high up in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley, or Paradyskloof (Paradise Valley) in South Africa. Due to the steepness of the terrain, the altitude climbs 200m within the 1.7km length of the farm, and the vineyards are planted between 250m and 400m above sea level. Thus, the vines planted over these different terrains produce wines with good complexity and various flavors. In addition, the proximity to False Bay and the Indian Ocean also moderates the climate in the vineyard.
Winemaker Alex Starey oversees the vineyards and makes the estate’s wines. Employed at the start of the redevelopment of the farm in 2005, he has traveled and worked in wine regions, including Maipo Valley in Chile, Penedès and Priorat in Spain, and St-Emilion and Côte-Rôtie in France.
Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch is South Africa’s best-known wine region, producing a wide variety of wines from leading estates, even though it accounts for less than 20 per cent of the country’s total production. Designated wards within the wine region are Jonkershoek Valley, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Bottelary, Devon Valley and Papegaaiberg.
At 17,500 hectares, Stellenbosch remains the Cape's most famous and important fine wine district, thanks to its proximity to Cape Town, to the cooling influences of False Bay, its mountainous (ie Helderberg, Simonsberg), granitic topography and its centres of learning such as Elsenburg Agricultural College.
It's notable for the refinement of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, especially from the likes of Glenelly Estate, Keermont Vineyards Oldenburg Vineyards, Raats Family and Anwilka
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is an important white grape variety planted in the Anjou-Saumur and Touraine regions of the Loire Valley and the most widely planted varietal grape in South Africa.
In the Loire it produces high quality dry wines in Savenniéres, and luscious sweet, dessert wines in Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume. In Vouvray and Montlouis it can be dry, medium dry, or sweet, and still or sparkling. Whether dry or sweet, the best Loire Chenin Blancs possess marvellously concentrated rich, honeyed fruit together with refreshingly vibrant acidity. It is Chenin Blanc's high acidity that enable the wines to age so well.
In South Africa Chenin Blanc is easier to grow and is prized for its versatility. It is used as a cheap blending option with Chardonnay, Colombard, and Muscat but also bottled unblended. The best producers keep their yields low and produce impressive mouthfilling wines.
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Description
Displaying a broad and expressive nose, the 2019 Riverside Chenin Blanc begins with hints of oak before showing aromas of wax melon essence, soft notes of toasted almonds and sautéed lemon skin. Medium-bodied but with fantastic weight, the wine offers succulent acidity on the palate and a citrus-driven, mineral-laced finish. Only 3,700 bottles were produced after the wine rested for 12 months on the lees in a mix of new and used French oak barrels. Bravo!
Drink 2023 - 2030
Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
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