Chenin Blanc 2020 reappraised

Earlier in the year, Greg Sherwood MW wrote up a recent tasting of 2020 South African Chenin Blanc that proved “underwhelming”, many wines appearing to lack the acidity required for long-term aging and the group consensus therefore being “drink now”.

How problematic are the 2020s? To explore this, private collector and Winemag.co.za reader Ryan Coetzee convened a comparative tasting featuring 15 prominent examples plus one ringer in the form of a 2019, specifically Ouwingerdreeks Skurfberg 2019 from Sadie, to keep tasters honest. The wines were arranged into four flights of four, tasted blind with labels concealed.

The re-tasting of 2020 Chenin Blancs reveals a pattern that’s hard to ignore: the wines haven’t fallen apart, but the scores have come back down to earth.

At release, there was a rush to the top end. Plenty of wines landed in the 96 – 98 range. With time, that’s changed. Most of those same bottles now sit more comfortably between 94 and 96. That’s not a collapse in quality – it’s a recalibration. In statistical terms, the scores have compressed. In plain English: initially we all got a bit carried away.

Interestingly, the middle of the pack has held firm. Wines originally rated 93 – 95 haven’t moved much at all. It’s the supposed “icons” that have seen the biggest corrections. A few high-profile examples have dropped three or four points, suggesting that early excitement – reputation, rarity, narrative – may have inflated initial impressions.

At the same time, a couple of wines have edged up. That tells its own story: structure, balance and age-worthiness don’t always shout on release, but they tend to endure.

So what to make of this? Firstly, scores still matter. In a world where outright poor wine is increasingly rare, they remain one of the few tools that can shift bottles and focus attention. A 95 sells; a 98 sells faster. The market may grumble about scores, but it still runs on them.

At the same time, they are an imperfect shorthand – a snapshot, not a verdict. Their value lies in meaningful differentiation, not in pretending to be absolute or permanent. If today’s 98 becomes tomorrow’s 94, that doesn’t make scoring pointless; it simply reflects that wine evolves, and so does our understanding of it.

Used properly, scores are a guide to relative quality at a given moment, not a guarantee of future standing. The responsibility, then, is to apply them with enough discipline that they illuminate differences rather than obscure them.

As for when to drink? That’s ultimately a matter of personal preference. There’s no single “correct” moment – context counts, from company to what food is on the table. As a rule of thumb, I’d be inclined to drink these wines now, not because they’re in danger of collapse, but because they’re likely at their most pleasurable: the raw edges of youth have softened, while their structure remains intact.

One thing is clear: 2020 is hardly a disgrace. If anything, it’s a vintage of uniformly high quality – just not quite the parade of near-perfection it first appeared to be.

My scores and brief comments below (most of the initial scores were formed under sighted tasting conditions):

97

Cavalli Filly 2020
Original rating: 96, Best Overall, Prescient Report – May 2021

The quiet overachiever – a precise, high-tension wine that still looks impressively sound.

David & Nadia Plat’bos 2020
Original rating: 98 – August 2021

Still elite – precision over sheer impact.

Eden High-Density Single Vineyard 2020
Original rating: 94 – June 2022

The biggest upward correction. A masterclass in restraint – has only gained in nuance with time in bottle.

96

Mullineux Schist Roundstone 2020
Original rating: 95 – September 2021

Incremental gain – has shed some of its primary, fleshy weight.

Sadie Die Ouwingerdreeks Skurfberg 2020
Original rating: 97 – September 2021

Continues to deliver its trademark richness and scale.

95

Alheit Nautical Dawn 2020
Original rating: 97 – August 2021

Ageing gracefully although it has retreated from the sheer electric peak of its youth.

Mullineux Granite 2020
Original rating: 96 – September 2021

Once lean and saline, this has transformed into something more powerful and thick-textured.

Sadie Ouwingerdreeks Mev Kirsten 2020
Original rating: 96 – September 2021

Always precisely made, relentlessly powerful, this wine continues to confidently do its thing

94

Magnetic North 2020
Original rating: 96 – August 2021

Grows more wild and unruly with time – idiosyncratic.

David & Nadia Skaliekop 2020
Original rating: 96 – August 2021

Still fine, but the margin between good and great narrows.

Van Loggerenberg Trust Your Gut 2020
Original rating: 98 – June 2021

Difficult to read, the wine has shut down significantly – remains high in quality but currently falls short of perfection.

93

Bruce Jack Boer Maak ‘n Plan 2020
Original rating: 93, Prescient Report Top 10 – May 2022

A rich style that succeeds admirably. Tracking well – proof that not everything needed correcting.

Rall Ava 2020
Original rating: 97 – July 2021

A crowd-pleaser – the youthful vibrance has given way to richness and creaminess that suggests its now into its drinking window.

91

Chamonix Old Vine Steen 2020
Original rating: 97 – June 2021

A divisive wine on account of its unusual stylistics. The nose appears exotic while the palate is still clean and fresh but arguably lacking complexity.

Sadie Die Ouwingerdreeks Skurfberg 2019
Original rating: 96 – February 2021

A surprising showing for those who remember its explosive debut. The wine is in a muted, somewhat awkward phase, its class currently obscured by reduction and firm acidity. Patience here is less a virtue than a necessity.

90

Stellenrust 56 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2020
Original rating: 91 – October 2022

Includes a portion of botrytis-infected fruit; while immensely flavorful, the resulting profile is rich, round, and highly textured. A particular style.