Flagstone Paradigm Chenin Blanc 2023

Gerhard Swarts took over as head winemaker at the Flagstone winery from the flamboyant Bruce Jack in 2008. Since then, he’s won some of South Africa’s most coveted Trophies. Bruce called him “the best winemaker I’ve ever met”, which is high praise from a winemaker who’s pretty cool himself. Gerhard loves Chenin and was keen to show just how majestic a wine can be. Here he’s lavished plentiful TLC, employing methods usually reserved for fancy Burgundies. All the grapes are from a single vineyard in Paarl, planted in 1979, bush vines (not trellised), that are dry farmed (ie never irrigated), so flavour is immensely concentrated. Half barrel-fermented and all lees stirred, the wine has intense peach and citrus fruit with luscious creamy spice.