Groot Phesantekraal Anna de Koning Chenin Blanc 2024

Richard Schroeder, winemaker at Groot Phesantekraal in Durbanville since November 2020, is betting on Chenin Blanc as the property’s white wine of the future – and he’s been changing things up since he got there.

Now four vintages in, the Reserve-range Anna de Koning provides a fascinating snapshot of stylistic evolution. The 2021 was matured for 10 months entirely in 500-litre barrels, a third of them new. Since then, however, Schroeder has steadily scaled back the oak influence – the newly released 2024 saw just 56% barrel maturation (none new), the rest split between concrete egg (28%) and amphora (16%).

The 2024 vintage (R265 a bottle) is still aromatically primary – notes of guava, citrus, peach, pineapple and granadilla, with floral and herbal nuance. The palate is packed with sweet fruit but balanced by bracing acidity. It’s immediately likeable, if not profound, and may simply need time to come into its own. CE’s rating: 90/100.

So, is Schroeder’s Chenin bet a good one? A Stellenbosch graduate, now 32, with a stint at Villiersdorp Winery behind him, he has the backing of the Brink family, who own the 850ha property, with 70ha of vineyard in production and another 20ha about to come online. Of 1,000 tonnes harvested annually, 250 are earmarked for own-label wines.

He certainly doesn’t appear short on options. 2023 Syrah (R179) made the Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Shiraz Report with a rating of 94 before going on to score 97 and become joint winner of the International Judges’ Trophy at the Trophy Wine Show.

And in Durbanville, no serious producer can ignore Sauvignon Blanc. Schroeder’s 2024 vintage of the Marizanne – also Reserve-range and including 11% Semillon (R275) – rated 92 in the iTOO Next Generation Report.

The impression? A young winemaker coming into his own and a property gathering momentum.

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