The nose is redolent of Manuka honey and yellow pollen. The palate is ripe and creamy with citrus and and white peach fruit, a textural minerality, waxy lanolin notes and honey. Lovely palate weight and Vouvray-like body leading to lingering finish with taut acidity.

Living soils and a natural approach to winemaking means that each of the single-varietal wines in the Circumstance range is truly defined by the circumstances influencing the chosen varietal and vineyard blocks, including: soil, aspect, altitude and vintage. These factors combine to produce low yields, balanced grapes and wines with a true sense of place. The Chenin Blanc is from a windswept, south-facing (less sun exposure) block 200-50m above and a mere 2 miles from The Atlantic. Production is a miserly 5 tons per hectare. Waterkloof follow a traditional, minimalistic approach in their gravitational cellar which means interfering as little as possible with the winemaking process. This allows the flavours prevalent in that specific vineyard to ultimately express themselves in the wine. To achieve this goal, all grapes are whole-bunch pressed, which ensures that juice is extracted in the gentlest way. The juice is then allowed to settle for 24 hours after which it is racked from the settling tank into older 600 liter barrels. They do not inoculate the juice with commercially cultivated yeast, but allow the wild yeast prevailing in the vineyard to ferment the juice. The natural fermentation process took 7 months to complete, after which the wine was left on the gross less for a further 3 months. No battonage, no additions of acid or enzymes during the winemaking process, only a small addition of sulphur as a preservative and a light filtration prior to bottling.

Wines from the Waterkloof Estate emphasise restraint, elegance and a strong mineral character due to the vineyards’ exposed position on the upper slopes of the famed Schaapenberg Mountain. High above False Bay the Waterkloof vineyards face directly onto the Atlantic Ocean at the southern limit of the Stellenbosch wine region. This very special site with its strong maritime influence, steep aspect and unique soil profile allows for the production of truly fine wines. The winemaking and viticultural team led by Werner Engelbrecht follow natural winemaking methods with minimal intervention, including the use of open-top fermenters, whole bunch pressing, wild yeast fermentation, extended fermentation periods and extra lees contact to maximise the terroir character. Since the first vintage in 2005 the estate has garnered widespread praise and many awards, producing some of South Africa’s best and most sought after Sauvignon and Merlot based wines. Waterkloof has also been at the forefront of innovation producing South Africa’s first iconic rosé (Cape Coral). Wines under the Peacock Ridge label are produced from the lower more protected slopes and are rounder with greater generosity and a more forward style.

A great partner with fish or try it with an oyster mushroom, rocket salad.