Prescient Fund Services Chenin Blanc Report 2026: Top 10
By Christian Eedes, 14 April 2026
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Introduction
This year’s Chenin Blanc Report convened by Winemag.co.za and sponsored by Prescient Fund Services is now out. There were 50 entries of single-variety Chenin Blanc and 18 Cape White Blends (defined as any blend containing a Chenin Blanc component of more than 15% and less than 85%) and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Chenin Blanc Top 10
The 10 best wines overall are:
94 – Best Overall
Le Sueur Kluisenaar 2025
Price: R219
Wine of Origin: Klein Karoo
Abv: 13.78%
Wins R10,000 in shipping from Aspiring Couriers and Spiegelau glasses worth R2,400, courtesy of Winterhalter.
94
Kleinbegin 2025 (Arbeidsgenot)
Price: R275
Wine of Origin: Piekenierskloof
Abv: 14.5%
93
Cavalli Reserve Chenin Blanc 2025
Price: R229
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.26%
93
Donkiesbaai Steen 2025
Price: R389
Wine of Origin: Piekenierskloof
Abv: 13.37%
93
Ernie Els Propiertor’s Old Vine 2025
Price: R350
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.5%
93
Knorhoek 2025
Price: R220
Wine of Origin: Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.3%
93
Le Sueur 2025
Price: R150
Wine of Origin: Klein Karoo
Abv: 13.81%
93
Welbedacht Skoolblok Steen 2025
Price: R165
Wine of Origin: Groenberg
Abv: 12.88%
92
Flagstone Tributary 2025
Price: R160
Wine of Origin: Coastal Region
Abv: 13.5%
92
Joostenberg Die Agteros 2025
Price: R239
Wine of Origin: Paarl
Abv: 12.7%
Cape White Blends Top Six
95 – Best Overall
Cavalli Reserve White 2025
Price: R309
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.24%
Wins R10,000 in shipping from Aspiring Couriers and Spiegelau glasses worth R2,400, courtesy of Winterhalter.
94
Coterie by Wildeberg Chenin Blanc & Grenache Blanc 2025
Price: R225
Wine of Origin: Coastal Region
Abv: 13%
94
JAN 2025 (Zevenwacht)
Price: R199
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13,53%
93
Bosman Adama 2025
Price: R229
Wine of Origin: Coastal Region
Abv: 12.56%
92
De Wet Vintage Mashup Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Semillon 2025
Price: R105
Wine of Origin: Worcester
Abv: 12.73%
92
Perdeberg The Dry Land Collection Rossouw’s Heritage 2025
Price: R209
Wine of Origin: Coastel Region
Abv: 14.24%
Shop online
Online wine shop Getwine is offering all of the top wines for sale – buy wine.
About the category
Chenin Blanc is one of the world’s most versatile grape varieties, capable of producing wines in all manner of styles and at all levels of the market. As recently as 1990, it comprised around 35% of the total area under vineyard in South Africa but in the period after political transformation, the tendency was to replace it with more fashionable red grape types and much was ripped out. It nevertheless remains the country’s most widely planted, making up 15 949ha or 18.4% of the total 86 525ha currently under vine.
Moreover, there has been a growing awareness that the variety had a particular affinity to local growing conditions and there is also a sense that mature vineyards can play a key role in producing wines of excellence. Based on industry convention, old vines are defined as being at least 35 years of age , and of the 5 159ha registered as such, just under half of this is Chenin.
As for Cape White Blends, these make for an important, if niche, category. No official definition exists but our proposal is that such wines can be made from any combination of varieties as long as they include a significant Chenin Blanc component, specifically more than 15% and less than 85% – the wines that result are often compelling in their complexity and, moreover, no other wine region in the world can lay claim to them.
What does a top Chenin Blanc go for?
The average price of the 32 wines to rate 90-plus is R247 a bottle and of the Top 10 is R240.
Best Buy
The Chenin Blanc offering the best quality relative to price is Charles Lang & Daughter NV with a rating of 91 and selling for R50 a bottle.
In-depth analysis
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines, buying guide (wines ranked by quality relative to price) and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: PFS Chenin Blanc Report 2026
- Note: The Cape White Blend Report is included as an addendum to the above document.
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Josua | 14 April 2026
Did it surprise you that no wine scored above 94 given that the 25 vintage is being described as one of the best in decades by many producers?
You mentioned earlier in the year that you’re not exactly feeling the hype of the vintage so far, I take that feeling remains after this report?
Christian Eedes | 15 April 2026
Hi Josua, A good vintage doesn’t automatically translate into a flood of very high scores — it tends to raise the baseline rather than the ceiling. It’s also to be expected that wines score slightly lower in a blind tasting than in a sighted one.
If I did at any point say I was not “feeling the hype” around 2025, I’d temper that. There is plenty to like about the vintage, and I think many wines will simply benefit from a bit of time to come into their own.
Mike Froud | 15 April 2026
Donkiesbaai Steen 2025 was rated 96 in Winemag’s Old Vine Report published in November ’25, but 93 in Winemag’s 2026 Chenin Blanc Report. Bottle variation perhaps?
Christian Eedes | 15 April 2026
Hi Mike, Scores are inherently context-dependent. A wine doesn’t exist in isolation — it’s assessed against the specific line-up in front of it, at a given moment, by a given panel, under blind conditions. A 96 in one tasting and a 93 in another still places the wine comfortably in the top tier in both cases. If anything, the more interesting takeaway is the consistency across different panels and contexts rather than the small numerical difference between them.