Alheit Vineyards Cartology and Hereafter Here Mixed Case, 6 bottles

Cartology is the flagship wine of Alheit vineyards: not only is it their calling card, but it is also the one that most profoundly represents the project of expressing the Cape's heritage varieties and old vines.

The 2022 is 92% Chenin from various sites and 8% Semillon from the La Colline vineyard in Franschhoek, the same site that produces Monument Chenin.

As with previous vintages, the crystalline quality of the fruit makes it stand out. The nose shows citrus oil and pear, with subtle floral/honey tones. The palate is well proportioned, with a firm mid-palate structure, medium-rich mouth feel, and long carry. Flavour persists and even intensifies throughout its length. The wine finishes dry and saline, refreshing the palate. This vintage has a sappy, thirst-quenching quality about it.

This is the third vintage of this wine and is a slight departure from Chris Alheit's philosophy in that this is made from relatively young Chenin Blanc vines, which gives Chris more flexibility in sourcing grapes based on the quality of the vineyard and not just a prescribed age of vines. This vintage contains parcels from the Swartland close to Malmesbury, the Upper Blaauwklippen, and Polkadraai, as well as some older vine parcels from the Paardeberg. The wine is already showing great potential. The palate is creamy and textured with lifted floral touches and complex minerality. You can certainly see the Alheit DNA in this excellent debut.