Raats Family Wines, Stellenbosch (South Africa) Chenin Blanc 2018

 This was just released in South Africa a month ago, so it won’t likely appear on store shelves in the USA for a few months, but keep an eye peeled, and grab it when you see it.  The wines shows superb expressiveness on both the nose and palate, with stone fruit and citrus notes driven by very energetic acidity.  The finish shows just a hint of citrus rind bitterness, which sets off the fruit very effectively and lends added complexity.  You might think that any reference to “bitterness” is bad news, but trust me… it isn’t.