L’Avenir, Stellenbosch (South Africa) Chenin Blanc 2016

This old vine bottling (from a dry-farmed site that yields only 4 tons of fruit per hectare) is stunning for its combination of rich fruit, interesting wood accents, and zesty acidity.  Fully 50% of the juice sees time in 400 liter barrels for a year, and the rest goes into second-fill casks.  Very rich, it shows lots of wood spice but very little overt toast, which is exactly the recipe for successfully oaked Chenin.  The balance of fruit and acidity is already excellent, as is the integration of fruit and wood notes, yet the team at L’Avenir believes this is really a 10-year wine.  And having tasted it…I believe as well.  If I can find this for my cellar, I’ll start on it in another 2 or three years, but definitely save some to see how it looks in another 8 or 9.  Wicked good Chenin.