Seriously Cool Chenin Blanc
£11.99
£15.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 9 bottles available
90Decanter
Old bush-vine Chenin from the windswept slopes above False Bay, and exactly the kind of South African white that wins UK wine lovers over for life. Crisp, layered and refreshingly honest, with stone fruit, citrus and a quiet whisper of oak. Easy to love, harder to put down.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We taste a lot of South African Chenin at this price point, and most of it is fine. This one isn't fine, it's seriously good. What sells us is the texture: that gentle grip from old bush-vine fruit and a long wild-yeast ferment gives it a presence most sub-£15 whites simply don't have. It's our go-to recommendation for anyone curious about why South African Chenin keeps stealing the show in international tastings. If you enjoy this style, the rest of the Waterkloof range is well worth exploring next.
Tasting Notes
Pour a glass and the nose lifts straight out: white peach, fresh apricot, a flourish of orange blossom, and a thread of honey hovering behind the fruit. The palate is dry but generous, with ripe stone fruit and a brush of banana and mango giving it real flesh, while the wild-yeast ferment lends a savoury, almost saline undertow. Concrete and old barrel ageing add texture without any sawn-wood character, and the finish snaps clean on bright, lemon-pith acidity.
About This Wine
Some Chenin Blancs whisper, others shout. This one does something rarer, it talks to you. From the cool, ocean-facing slopes of the Helderberg, where old bush vines have weathered three or four decades of Atlantic winds, comes a white wine that punches well above its price tag. Pour a glass and you'll find white peach, apricot and a lift of citrus zest, threaded with white flowers and a hint of honey. The texture is where it really earns its name, there's a coolness, a poise, a chalky freshness that keeps the riper fruit in check. A long natural fermentation in stainless steel, concrete eggs and older 600-litre barrels gives it depth without ever tipping into heaviness. Wild yeasts, no added acid, light filtration: this is hands-off winemaking by people who clearly know when to stop. It's a brilliantly versatile bottle. Roast chicken with lemon and thyme, a Thai green curry, grilled prawns, or just a wedge of mature Cheddar on the sofa, Chenin this well-made bends to whatever you're eating. It also makes a properly thoughtful gift for anyone who's tired of the same old Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio. We ship across the UK, usually within two to three working days, so a taste of the Cape can be on someone's table by the weekend.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for the table. The texture and stone-fruit weight handle roast chicken or a buttery piece of pan-fried hake beautifully, while the citrus acidity makes short work of Thai green curry or a salt-and-pepper squid starter. For something lighter, try it with goat's cheese on toasted sourdough, or a summer salad of peach, prosciutto and rocket.
- —Lemon and thyme roast chicken
- —Pan-fried hake with brown butter and capers
- —Thai green curry with prawns
- —Goat's cheese and peach salad with rocket
- —Salt-and-pepper squid with aioli
How to Serve
Decanting
No need to decant, but don't serve it straight from the back of the fridge, too cold and you'll mute the stone fruit and honey aromatics. Let it warm a few degrees in the glass and the perfume opens up beautifully.
Ageing & Cellaring
Built for early enjoyment, the freshness and fruit are at their best in the first few years after release. That said, the old-vine concentration and wild-yeast complexity will reward two to four years in a cool, dark cupboard, where the honeyed notes deepen and the texture rounds out.
The Land
The fruit comes from old bush-vine blocks, 30 to 40 years deep-rooted, perched on the Schapenberg within sight of two oceans. Yields are kept to around four tons per hectare, miserly for an entry-tier wine, and the constant sea breeze keeps the berries small, the skins thick, and the acidity bright.
The Winemaking
Whole bunches go into the press so the juice comes out gently, then settles for a day before moving by gravity into a mix of stainless steel, concrete eggs and seasoned 600-litre barrels. No cultured yeast, no added acid, no enzymes, just the wild yeast from the vineyard taking its time, often months, to finish fermenting. A light filter, a whisper of sulphur, and that's it. The result tastes alive: stone fruit, white flowers, a thread of honey, and that crisp salty finish.
About the Producer
Boutinot
Paul Boutinot spent years searching the world for a site that could make wine on his terms. He found it on the Schapenberg, a windswept ridge above Somerset West looking out over False Bay and the Atlantic. From day one Waterkloof was farmed organically, with biodynamic conversion following soon after. Cattle, sheep and goats roam the estate producing compost and grazing cover crops, and draught horses do the work tractors usually do, keeping the soil loose and alive. Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard, who joined at the very beginning and now runs the cellar, takes those naturally balanced grapes and gives them as little intervention as possible. It's farming as philosophy, and you can taste it.