Alheit Vineyards 2022 Releases

We are delighted to introduce the new vintage from Alheit Vineyards. It's always an exciting time in the calendar of South Africa releases.

Chris Alheit is the figurehead of the Cape's New Wave of producers, specialising in old vine, dry-grown Chenin Blancs and Semillons. Chris has built an enviable reputation based on his flagship wine, Cartology, which debuted with the 2011 vintage.

2022 started with a rainy spring, followed by three consecutive heatwaves. The conditions starkly contrast the three preceding vintages, marked by meagre yields. 2019 - 2021 saw yields of 1 - 2 tonnes per hectare; 2022 is between 2 - 3 tonnes. This has given Chris a broader palette to work with. Despite the higher yields, Cartology remains at the same level of production due to a harsher selection. Many old vine parcels that are usually destined for Cartology have ended up in the 2022 Hereafter - a cuvee generally reserved for younger parcels of vines. The resulting wines are similar in style, particularly their ripeness, to 2018.

The wines were tasted in September 2023, and we are incredibly pleased with this vintage.