Wine Of The Week

Eenzaamheid Chenin Blanc

Eenzaamheid is situated in the Agter-Paarl area of South Africa’s Western Cape province.
The name of the farm is Dutch for “solitude” and refers to its isolation from Cape Town when it was named in 1693.
Janno Briers-Louw, the 7th generation farmer, produces award-winning, handcrafted wines from the old dryland vineyards.

Chenin Blanc

Vineyard:

Grapes were hand-picked from 38-year-old, low-wielding bushvine. The wine was aged sur lie in 300L & 400L French Oak barrels with regular stirring of the lees for extra complexity & mouthfeel.

Eenzaamheid 2020 Chenin Blanc South Africa

Tasting Notes:

At first, there are attractive bruised yellow apples, hay and a touch of beeswax. The palate displays a lovely richness and a fleshy mid-palate texture. The wine’s crisp acidity perfectly balances the fruit flavours.
The oak never overpowers but instead adds subtle interest. Our Chenin Blanc is known for its exceptional ageing potential and will be rewarded for up to 10 years with careful cellaring.

Eenzaamheid farm is more than 320 years old

In Dutch, the name means “solitude”, and is a reference to the property’s isolation from Cape Town when the farm was named in 1693 – a time when a journey of 60km required a good horse if the rider wanted to arrive within a day.

A shortage of grain, fresh fruit and vegetables in the Cape obliged the governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, to allocate small farms to officials and soldiers of the Dutch East India Company.

The soldiers and sailors mostly came from the German states, and normally had a 5-year contract after which they could either return home to their families or apply for a farm to be granted to them and become free burghers in the Cape of Good Hope..