Oliver Zeter Chenin Blanc / 2019 / 75cl

A seriously classy example of a variety not often seen in Germany.  Impressive depth of flavour is paired with great structure for a truely memorable wine.  I could go on and on but Herr Zeter says it better than I can:

"I had to search long and hard for suitable sites for this variety, such as the Schlossberg in Hambach and the Haardter Herzog: perfectly exposed slopes with terroir character!  Here, my Chenin Blanc stretches out towards the su, rooted deep in the rocky, chalky loam.  I organised the vines for the two plantings especailly for me from a vine school on the Loire.  Next to Riesling, Chenin Blanc is the variety with the widest range of applications, from sparkling wines to dry and sweet still wines to high-quality sweet wines.

After the harvest, the grapes macerate for up to four hours before they are pressed.  There is no pre-clarification, so the cloudy must is poured directly into new and used tonneaux as well as into concrete eggs and some stainless steel.  There it ferments spontaneously and remains on its full lees until mid-August.  The wine is then bottled without fining and only lightly filtered.

A wine full of structure is thus created in the taste field of South Africa, Loire and Palatinate.  Its fruit aromas are reminiscent of green apple, young pineapple, and fresh nectarine.  Underneath, there are herbal notes of hay and blue clover, which fade into sweet aromas like light biscuit dough.  The palate is taut, with dominant, stony minerality and a fruit-intensive lingering finish." - Oliver Zeter

Oliver Zeter