A heritage bush vine Chenin Blanc that captures the soul of Stellenbosch

The Du Bois Sonop Chenin Blanc 2025 is crafted from heritage bush vines planted in 1982 and 1986 on the northeastern slopes of Sonop Hill, overlooking Koelenhof in Stellenbosch. Growing at elevations between 240 and 280 metres in red and blue shale soils with fractured clay beneath, these mature vines produce fruit of remarkable purity and concentration. The exceptional 2025 vintage, defined by cool growing conditions, excellent rainfall and slow, even ripening, delivered fruit with outstanding freshness and natural balance. In the cellar, a restrained approach, including maturation in seasoned 500L barrels, allows the vineyard and vintage to remain the true focus, producing a Chenin Blanc of precision, texture and longevity.

Tasting notes: APale gold in the glass, the wine opens with a perfume of white flowers and delicate peach, alongside a subtle, savoury, spice-driven complexity. The palate offers white pear, green apple, grapefruit and peach, sharpened by a saline edge and a bright limegreen freshness. Nuances of ginger, cloves and a gravelly minerality emerge, hallmarks of this remarkable corner of Stellenbosch. A wine of complexity and contrast, it
blossoms from restrained beginnings to a structured generosity of fruit, lifted by an electric acidity and signature mouth-coating old vineyard texture. Built to age, it's a wine to cellar, reflect on and share.

Food pairing: A beautifully structured Chenin Blanc that shines alongside refined dishes with texture and depth. Cape Cuisine: Mild Cape Malay fish curry or smoked yellowtail with pickled vegetables highlight the wine's freshness, spice and lingering mineral finish. Pork Dishes: Slow-roasted pork loin with apple compote or cider-glazed pork beautifully matches its orchard fruit and subtle spice. Seafood & Shellfish: Seared scallops, West Coast mussels or grilled kingklip with a beurre blanc complement the wine's saline freshness and vibrant acidity. 

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.16% | TA 5.23g/L | pH 3.27 | RS 2.19g/L