Piekenierskloof Old Vine Bergandel Chenin Blanc
£25.00
£33.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 5 bottles left
High up on the Piekenierskloof plateau, ungrafted bush vines planted in the 1950s give this Chenin a depth and seriousness you rarely find at this price. White blossom, ripe stone fruit and a creamy, lees-rich texture make it a brilliant Sunday-roast white or a thoughtful gift for any Chenin lover.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We tasted through a small library of old-vine Cape Chenins before adding this to the list, and the Bergandel kept asking us back for another sip. There's a tension here, between the creamy, oak-kissed mid-palate and that high-altitude freshness, that very few Chenins at this price get right. It's the bottle we'd pour for a friend who thinks they don't like oaked whites, or for anyone curious about why old-vine Chenin is suddenly the talk of the wine world. Stocks are limited, so don't dither.
Tasting Notes
White blossom and orchard fruit lift from the glass, backed by ripe apricot, yellow peach and a whisper of pineapple. Six months in 500-litre French oak (30% new) adds a soft vanilla seam without smothering the fruit, while spontaneous fermentation leaves a creamy lees-derived weight on the mid-palate. The finish is where old-vine Chenin earns its keep: dried apricot, a saline tug, and length that just keeps going.
About This Wine
Climb the Piekenierskloof plateau, 700 metres up in the Citrusdal Mountains, and you'll find some of the oldest, gnarliest Chenin Blanc bush vines in the Cape. Planted in the 1950s and dry-farmed in sandy loam soils, they produce tiny crops of intensely flavoured fruit. This is what serious South African Chenin tastes like when it's grown with patience and made with restraint. In the glass, expect white blossom and a generous swathe of tropical fruit (think yellow peach, ripe pear, a hint of pineapple), with a textural creaminess that comes from six months in 500-litre French oak barrels, 30% of them new. Spontaneous fermentation and time on the lees add a savoury, almost waxy depth. The finish is long and elegant, lifted by a thread of apricot and a cooling acidity that belies the wine's richness. This is a Chenin built for the table. Try it with a roast chicken and lemony potatoes, a creamy mushroom risotto, or a piece of pan-fried hake with brown butter. It's also wonderful with mature Cheddar or a wedge of crumbly Lancashire. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, this is the kind of bottle you reach for when you want to impress without shouting. Sending a taste of home to a South African friend? They'll know immediately you've chosen well.
Food Pairing
This wants food with a bit of richness to match its creamy weight. Think roast chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche, a smoked haddock chowder on a damp Sunday, or pork belly with a sharp apple sauce. It also handles spice beautifully: a fragrant Thai green curry or a mild Cape Malay fish bobotie both find their match here.
- —Roast chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche
- —Smoked haddock and leek chowder
- —Slow-roasted pork belly with apple sauce
- —Thai green curry with prawns
- —Aged Comté or a mature farmhouse Cheddar
How to Serve
Decanting
No need to decant, but pour into the glass twenty minutes before sitting down to drink. The oak and lees notes need a little air to integrate with the fruit and unlock the full apricot lift.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully now, but there's no rush. Old-vine Piekenierskloof Chenin has serious staying power and will happily cellar for 5-7 years, with the primary apricot fruit slowly giving way to honeyed, waxy, almost beeswax-like complexity over time.
The Land
The Bergendal vineyard sits at 600 to 750 metres, where un-grafted bush vines planted in 1962 dig into sandy loam soils. Dry-farmed and weathered by decades of mountain conditions, these old vines yield small, concentrated bunches. Cold evening air at altitude preserves natural acidity, giving the Chenin its precision and lift.
The Winemaking
Only the free-run juice makes the cut here, settled gently before wild yeasts get to work. Fermentation happens partly in stainless steel (to lock in freshness) and partly in 500-litre French oak barrels, which add texture without heavy-handed spice. The wine then rests for six months in those same large-format barrels, 30% new and the rest second and third fill. The result is a Chenin with creamy weight and lifted lees-derived texture, never overpowered by wood.
The Olifants River Region
The Piekenierskloof plateau sits high in the Citrusdal Mountains, around 50 km north of Swartland and 160 km from Cape Town. At 600 to 750 metres of altitude, the days are warm but the nights turn cold, with mountain air sweeping in to refresh the vines after sundown. It's a wild, sparsely planted corner of the Olifants River region, better known for citrus orchards than vineyards, which is exactly why the wines coming out of here feel so distinctive.
About the Producer
Piekenierskloof Wine Company
Piekenierskloof Wine Company takes its name from the plateau it calls home, a high-altitude pocket in the Citrusdal Mountains about 50km north of Swartland. The Piekeniers were Dutch soldiers sent from the Cape centuries ago to explore the Olifants River region; today their name marks one of South Africa's most quietly important wine zones. Under winemaker Hendrien Vercueil, the team specialises in Rhône-style wines built around the area's old, ungrafted bush vines. Some of these were planted back in the 1950s and still produce small, intense bunches that give Piekenierskloof's wines their distinctive depth and authenticity. This is a producer that lets the place do the talking.