Ken Forrester The FMC Chenin Blanc 2025
Bright gold with a subtle green core. Powerful, complex nose of ripe apricot, baked quince, beeswax, honey, vanilla and crème brûlée from extended barrel work, lifted by leesy texture and a hint of dried fynbos. Full-bodied with a creamy, opulent mid-palate, focused mineral acidity holding it taut, and a long, layered finish. A serious Cape Chenin built for grand dishes — roast pork, lobster, coq au vin or aged Comté — and equally for the cellar (10+ years).
Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2025
Bright straw with green-gold highlights. Lifted nose of ripe pear, baked apple, white peach and honeysuckle, backed by leesy, creamy texture and subtle vanilla-spice from oak. Medium- to full-bodied palate with characteristic Cape Chenin acidity, a chalky-mineral mid-palate and a long, satisfying finish. Excellent with roast chicken, creamy risottos, mature cheeses or grilled white fish.
Natte Valleij Axle Chenin Blanc 2025
Lievlander Chenin Blanc 2023
Pale straw with green-gold reflections. Open, fresh nose of crisp green apple, pear, white peach and lemon pith with a subtle honeysuckle lift. Medium-bodied with bright citric acidity, a clean fruit core and a dry, refreshing finish. The perfect all-rounder — equally at home as an aperitif, with seafood or alongside farm-to-table cooking.
Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2024 has a beautiful purity of limes and ripe gooseberry, with tropical, floral and fine herbal notes, ruby grapefruit and white pear drop on the finish. This is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc – vibrant, mineral, elegant, balanced and delicate, with a long, layered and complex finish.
Tim Atkin South Africa Report 2024 91 Points
Iona's spectacularly sited parcels are some of the highest and most dramatic in Elgin, producing a quintessential cool climate Sauvignon Blanc. Perfumed, salty and stony, this has layers of lime and grapefruit, a touch of vanilla and a briney finish. 2024-27
Donkiesbaai Steen 2025
The Donkiesbaai Steen 2023 has a beautiful complexity of aromas reveal themselves on the nose: candied lemon peel, pineapple, honeysuckle, beeswax, cream and shortbread. On the palate, lively acidity carries the fruit, with texture and layers of flavour expanding on the palate. A clean yet mouthwatering finish.
The Steen is made up of three components: 75% is fermented and then matured in a combination of new and seasoned 500l French oak
barrels. 15% is fermented spontaneously and matured on the lees in concrete eggs. Bâtonnage is done monthly for textural mouthfeel.
DWWA Silver
Kaapzicht Kliprug Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2023
Ashbourne Sandstone 2024
A wine that is all about texture and tension rather than oak, this blend of Sauvignon Blanc,
18% Chardonnay and 16% Semillon was fermented and aged in amphoras, ceramic and
concrete eggs and older barrels. Herbal, structured and pithy, it has appealing aromas of
petrichor and fennel, flavours of citrus, tarragon and elderflower and an enticing bitter twist.
93 Tim Atkin MW South Africa 2025 Special Report
The 2024 Sandstone is a blend of 66% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Chardonnay and 18% Sémillon, fermented mostly in amphora. It has quite a pungent bouquet that I really like, with touches of white asparagus and nettle and fine delineation. The palate is well balanced, with a touch of lemon and orange rind and just a hint of that asparagus again, with a lovely texture on the finish. It's not a crowd pleaser, but I like its uncompromising nature.
91 Neal Martin, Vinous, September 2025
AA Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2025
The 2025 Secateurs Chenin Blanc opens with an inviting, crystalline bouquet of green apple, quince and white pear, underpinned by fragrant citrus blossom and hints of lemon zest and chalky minerality. Subtle notes of honeysuckle and flinty reduction add aromatic complexity without overpowering the fresh fruit core.
On the palate, the wine is bright and finely poised, with vibrant acidity that carries juicy orchard fruit and citrus flavours through a nervy, focused mid-palate. Layers of quince and tart apple are complemented by a fine thread of saline minerality and a touch of soft spice. The texture is crisp yet creamy, exhibiting a refined tension that leads to a long, refreshing finish with gentle herbal undertones.
Elegant and expressive, this Chenin Blanc balances fruit purity with structural precision — ideal for early enjoyment but with enough grip for gentle short-term development.
Lismore Chardonnay 2022
The Lismore Chardonnay 2022 is a South African cool-climate white wine with intense citrus aromas and flavors of apricot, white peach, and honey, balanced by crisp acidity and a distinct minerality. It is a sophisticated, complex Chardonnay that spent 11 months in 500-litre barrels (with some new) and is known for its long, elegant citrus and toasted hazelnut finish.
Tasting notes
Aromas: Apricot, mandarin, orange zest, white peach, honey, walnut, brioche
Palate: Lively, mineral-driven, crisp acidity, and a long, elegant finish with notes of citrus and toasted hazelnut
Flavor profile: Concentrated, with subtle hints of smoke, toffee, and a refined texture
Salt River Sauvignon Blanc Savage 2024
The 2024 Salt River combines fruit from a 35 year old bushvine vineyard in Stellenbosch. Named for the trendy area of Cape Town that Savage Wines calls home, it's bursting with white pepper sprinkled gooseberries, elderflower, tangy starfruit, white currants, passionfruit and pomelo and its pith. Straight as an arrow, with icy cold Atlantic sea spray freshness.
Keermont Terrasse 2023
The Terrasse 2023 has a light green gold colour. The nose is inviting with notes of spring flowers, ripe apricots and citrus, and hints of barley. The palate is soft and luscious at first, then opens up with lovely fresh acidity and an array of flavours like apricot, peach and quince complimented by richer, spicier and savoury fruit. This follows into a lingering aftertaste with a light phenolic grip. A thin line of salty acidity gives the wine a succulent finish. Drink 2024-2035.
Chenin Blanc 30%
Chenin Blanc 16%
Sauv Blanc 15%
Chardonnay 12%
Chardonnay 3%
Viognier 12%
Roussanne 10%
Marsanne 2%
ACCOLADES
TERRASSE 23: 5 stars PLATTER GUIDE
TERRASSE 23: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS)
TERRASSE 23: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)