Riebeek, South Africa
Nestled in the picturesque Riebeek Valley, in the heart of the Swartland region, you'll find rolling slopes of vineyards that thrive in rugged, untamed beauty. These vineyards are the legacy of generations that have nurtured these vines through tough, dry-land conditions, to produce distinctive, beautiful wines that reflect exactly where they are from.
Riebeek is an anomaly in the Cape. It ships much of its wine out in tank to supply very good quality brands…and yet it has access to some of the most wonderful vineyards from which they, and now we, make very small quantities of top-end wine.
Winemaker, Sheree Nothnagel, loves to come to work in her “small cellar”, the experimental cave where just about anything is possible. In fact, she claims to not come to work at all, but rather come to play. Charm aside, she is the most competent partner in bringing our wines to life. We have walked the vines and tasted the wines for years now. However, this is the first time we've dedicated vines to Virgin Wines and taken the product to bottle.
Konstantia Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023
Konstantia, close to Zonquasdrif, is a delicate vineyard and has sandy soils, cut with quartz rocks, which are great for aromatics. Block 27 provides the fruit for this wine, with the vines being at least 40 years old. It has a warmer inland location, which doesn’t get buffeted by the coastal winds.
This extraordinary wine gets whole bunch pressed, settled out overnight, steel fermented and then it’s split to finish in cement tanks and oak barrels. This split is key – it retains freshness in the cement and softens off and broadens in the barrels, creating a perfect balance in the wine.
A floral nose, and a touch candied, with notes of lime, almond and a little chalkiness make a slick fore-palate. This is followed by layers of freshly minted flavours, nectarine and peach. This wine provides very delicate flavours, with gentle acidity massaging the best out of the fruit. Great intensity, and ultimately mouth-watering.
From our own Vineyard Collection vines, this wine offers intensity and mouth-watering complexity
Oak Valley Swartland Cinsault 2022
From a very special block on the Oak Valley vineyard on the gentle western slopes of Kasteelberg, this Cinsault is singing all the way. We took three rows only from Oak Valley, and from the most exposed part of the vineyard. We wanted to promote the terrific natural sweetness found in all great Cinsault (although there’s not much around!).
From the delicate red fruit nose, with hints of tea and herbs, through to the quite remarkably sweet fruit on the palate, this wine is one of the most moreish wines we have ever created. There’s precious little structure to get in the way of the incredibly pure fruit expression of great bush-vine Cinsault.
From a select few of our Vineyard Collection vines, this is the most moreish wine we've ever made
