Roodekrantz current releases

Roodekrantz is a project that sees former Windmeul export manager Marius Burger and son Marius Junior combining with winemaker Danie Morkel to channel old-vine Chenin Blanc from large commercial blends into premium bottlings. Maiden vintage was in 2015 and Roodekrantz took Old Vine Project membership in 2018, the wine’s made at the Morkel family property called Diemerskraal since 2020.

There are now five separate releases, as follows:

1974 Old Vines – from a 1974 Agter-Paarl vineyard
Brand se Berg – from a 1975 Agter-Paarl vineyard
Die Kliphuis – from a 1977 Swartland vineyard
Donkermaan – from a 1967 Stellenbosch vineyard
Rhenosterbosrug – from a 1983 Swartland vineyard

The 2020s tend to be quite nuanced, unshowy and difficult to read. It was, however, an encounter with Die Kliphuis of this vintage earlier in the year that convinced me that Roodekrantz is set for great things: undertaking a blind tasting of 75 examples of old-vine Chenin Blanc for a report in UK magazine Decanter, I was blown away by the wine giving it a rating of 96 on the 100-point quality scale.

Current releases not yet reviewed by Winemag.co.za as follows:

Donkermaan 2020
Price: R300
Pear, peach and apple plus spice and a slight earthiness on the nose. Rich and flavourful (alcohol is 14%) with nicely integrated acidity and a long, savoury finish. Good fruit density and plenty of detail.

CE’s rating: 93/100.

1974 Old Vines 2020
Price: R250
Hay, pear, peach and yellow apple on the nose while the palate has a slight oxidative quality about it – rich and broad with gentle acidity.

CE’s rating: 91/100.

Brand se Berg 2020
Price: R250
The nose shows top notes of honeysuckle and herbs before white peach while the palate is more opulent and open than some of its counterparts with moderate acidity, a certain saline quality to the finish.

CE’s rating: 91/100.

Check out our South African wine ratings database.

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