Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2018

By , 7 May 2019

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Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2018

Pair with seafood.

Those who monitor SA wine social media closely will have noticed the incredible hype surrounding the small-batch Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2018 made by 27-year-old Sakkie Mouton from Koekenaap grapes, Greg Sherwood MW calling it “one of the most profound Chenin Blancs produced in South Africa since Eben Sadie conjured up Skurfberg and Skerpioen in his old vine series” (see here).

The nose shows guava, pear, white peach and citrus plus dried grass and the merest hint of waxiness. The palate is light and fresh with a saline finish – tightly wound, it’s very elegant and has a lovely energy about. Only 370 bottles produced and uncertified, a few of the country’s specialist wine retailers have managed to get their hands on it – approximate retail price is R400 a bottle.

Editor’s rating: 93/100.

Find our South African wine ratings database here.

Comments

10 comment(s)

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    jonathan snashall | 9 May 2019

    PS where within a certain vol

    jonathan snashall | 9 May 2019

    i stand corrected but certification for local sales not as stringent as it is for export.

    Angela Lloyd | 8 May 2019

    Lesson here, before getting too excited about the latest THING, check for authenticity. I’m not saying this isn’t, but our Wine of Origin system, as a pioneer project in the New World, is something to be proud of. Greg should have noticed the lack of certification but listing of WO & queried this, as should you, as a professional, Christian.

    Tim James | 8 May 2019

    Minor correction a propos the quote from Greg Sherwood: as I’m sure he knows, but in order that no one gets confused, the Sadie Skerpioen is not a chenin, but a blend of palomino and chenin, the former usually in the majority, I think, and certainly vital to its character.
    As to the certification of the Crayfish wine, I note from a picture of the back label that apart from the varietal claim it also claims to be a Wine of Origin (WO W Cape – not much of a stake in terroir, but still). According to the Wine and Spirit Board’s booklet on the WO system: “If a claim is to be made on origin, cultivar or vintage, a wine has to be certified, and a
    certification seal is put on the packaging of such wine, which confirms that when evaluated by
    the Board, the wine was of good quality and that any claims made on the label was checked
    and are truthful.” Christian – presumably there was no certification seal on your bottle? And presumably you (and Greg) got the info about the vintage from some source other than the bottle, where it is not given?

      Christian Eedes | 8 May 2019

      Hi Tim, No certification on the bottle – all details in above review obtained via Greg Sherwood’s site “A Fine Wine Safari” and taken in good faith. Should this wine be changing hands via commercial channels given is lack of certification? Moot point.

    Jacques | 7 May 2019

    Uncertified? But Chenin Blanc as cultivar on the label? Interesting.Guess Wine Certification rules only apply to some.

    Henry | 7 May 2019

    How can you stipulate cultivar on the label if the wine is uncertified? The mind boggles….

    Christian Eedes | 7 May 2019

    Hi Blane, Unfortunately, I can’t shed any light. Can anybody else help?

      Kwispedoor | 9 May 2019

      The back label doesn’t say anything about barrel size, etc. but it does say that it was made in “old neutral oak barrels”.

    Blane | 7 May 2019

    In Greg’s article he says it’s barrel fermented but with with no other details. Do you perhaps know what kind of oak was used?

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