This year, we have been bowled over with the response to the Brookdale Chenin Blanc, Single Vineyard 2020. Critics, journalists, judging panels and wine-lovers alike have shared overwhelmingly positive feedback for the 4th vintage hailing from our block of certified old vine Chenin Blanc.
With each harvest, our winemaker Kiara Scott takes an intuitive approach, responding to the growing and harvest conditions in order to curate the vine which creates the wine. Wines such as these are largely made in the vineyard, and polished in the cellar through minimal invention practices. Kiara creates room in her winemaking process for the wine to reveal its potential. This means that no two vintages receive the same treatment – there are no formulas … there is no recipe. Kiara prefers to use vintage-specific techniques which allow the grapes of that particular year to showcase their terroir best.
As South Africa’s youngest female head winemaker, Kiara is already achieving phenomenal success on the local and international stage. The Brookdale Chenin Blanc 2020 has, and continues to achieve high marks across wine reviews and awards since it was released in April 2022. We are immensely proud of how this wine created from old vines, by a youthful winemaker at a new winery in Paarl is breaking down boundaries and defining its own path within South Africa’s wine industry.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 | Gold, 95 points
In our first year of entering the Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard to the Decanter World Wine Awards, we are elated to report that Brookdale has placed amongst the best Chenin Blancs in South Africa! Only 39 gold medals were awarded to South African entries, with the Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 amongst the esteemed few.
The Trophy Wine Show 2022 | Rosa Kruger Trophy for best Old-Vine Wine
At the awards ceremony, our winemaker, Kiara Scott, received the Rosa Kruger Trophy for the 2020 vintage, which took Gold with a top score of 97/100 placing it first in its category. The 2022 Trophy Wine Show is judged by an illustrious international and local judging panel, chaired by wine authority Michael Fridjhon.
South Africa Wine Awards London 2022 | Double Gold
Another massive achievement for our wine team was at the inaugural SA Wine Awards London, judged by a panel of top-flight judges, including Greg Sherwood, MW. Our Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 vintage received Double Gold, one of two Chenin Blancs to achieve top marks and one of 14 Double Gold winners overall.
Jancis Robinson MW | 17.5/20
The wine correspondent for the Financial Times, USA, Jancis Robinson has been writing and broadcasting about wine since 1975. Brookdale Estate was fortunate to be part of one of Jancis’ 2022 tastings, receiving a phenomenal review and rating from the renowned critic. “Honey and haystacks, and crème brûlée … Pineapple candy. Sage dust. Unusually, this Chenin has an indigo-blue element to its flavour profile, as if someone hand-wrote on the hay-pressed parchment of its gold-canvas soul…” – Jancis Robinson, 2022
OUR HERITAGE VINES
Brookdale is a proud member of South Africa’s Old Vine Project – a collective of certified heritage vines. The single block of trellised Chenin Blanc planted in 1985 from which the Brookdale Chenin Blanc hails dates back to over 35 years and is one of few certified old Chenin vines in the Drakenstein region. The resulting wine is a triumphant display of Paarl’s terroir and wine producing status, of complexity and balance.
“We believe that older vines bring another dimension, a new character that tells a story of our land, our culture and our history.” – Rosa Kruger, The Old Vine Project
THE BROOKDALE CHENIN BLANC, SINGLE VINEYARD 2020
The Brookdale Chenin Blanc, Single Vineyard, stands proudly as a wine of outstanding character made in a large format. With exquisite detail, nuanced balance and an impactful flavour profile, the wine rivals the classic white wines of Burgundy. Unmasked, crushed stones unspool while limey, powdered chalk rides a wave of white citrus and white pear, underpinned by subtle oak spice. On the palate, the sensational white fruit continues. The mineral structure presents vertical and endless, enlivened by soft buoyant acids and a mouth-coating citrus purity. The finish is luminous, with a real granitic freshness.
“Ultimately, it’s the wine’s harmony and intensity with finely judged balance that really leaves a long lasting impression … a total show stopper and a new icon.” – Greg Sherwood, MW.
VIEW THE BROOKDALE CHENIN BLANC
Contact us to order wine from Brookdale Estate: sales@brookdale-estate.com
