2023 - Valentine - Chenin Blanc

Direct Press Chenin Blanc

Gino’s Block, Swan Valley

595 Bottles Made

This wine’s namesake, Charles and Alicia’s handsome son Valentine in now a toddler, so, most of the time is a little angel, but he also occasionally lets the devil loose...

Chenin grown from the rehabilitated vines on our little block in the Swan Valley. Picked on the fourth weekend of January 2023. Pressed to stainless and fermented for three weeks and then transferred to five seasoned oak barriques for élevage over 10 months. Predominantly older seasoned oak - three barriques being six years old, the other two being two years old.

In December we tasted through all of the barriques and chose portions from four of the five barriques to make up a 400L blend. Bottled with no additions of any kind.

Much like its predecessor, this is a beautiful expression of a zero/zero Chenin from the Swan. Packing a nose rich with caramel fudge and jasmine. The palate is warming and full, like a hug for your mouth. Powerful, girthy and lengthy with a throbbing acid line and fruit notes of feijoa and white nectarine. Flexing some interest with a captivating mid-palate acid spike that climaxes into some really textural yet subtle phenolics.

Angelic and delicate, yet poised and devilish. Yum.