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!
The Decanter World Wine Awards offer a definitive guide to the world of wine. “Now in its 19th year, Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, with unrivalled global reach. Judged by top wine experts from around the globe, DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process,” Decanter states.
This year, 18,244 wines were judged from 54 countries across two weeks. Almost 250 international wine experts – including 41 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers – awarded 50 Best in Show accolades, in addition to 164 Platinum, 677 Gold, 5,900 Silver and 8,074 Bronze medals. Only 39 gold medals were awarded to South African entries, with the Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 amongst the esteemed few.
Brookdale’s Chenin Blanc is from humble roots in a once forgotten vineyard. When Tim Rudd acquired the estate, he unearthed this hidden gem which would become the maiden release from Brookdale. Now a certified Old Vine single block over 35 years old, the Brookdale Chenin stands proudly as a wine of outstanding character made in a large format, with exquisite detail, nuanced balance and an impactful flavour profile rivalling the classic white wines of Burgundy.
The Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 is the fourth expression of this terroir-specific wine that is produced in limited quantities and was one of four South African Chenin Blancs to qualify for gold by scoring 95 in the prestigious international competition. It was also the highest scoring white wine from the Paarl region, as tasted by Decanter this year. The perfect choice to celebrate the upcoming #DrinkChenin Day on Saturday 18 June!
London-based Greg Sherwood, MW, says about the Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020: “Now a designated single vineyard Chenin Blanc, and newly labelled as such, the 2020 certainly rises to the challenge to offer an old vine intensity and quality that exceeds anything released from Brookdale previously. Everything is textbook here and assembled with absolute precision. The aromatics burst forth with lofty notes of tangy sweet and sour yellow citrus, wet straw, hints of pineapple pastille and sweet herbal notes of fynbos and dried thyme. Fabulous lift and intensity continue to the opulent palate that shows an impressive concentration of white peach and citrus fruits with a tangerine kiss underpinned by fabulously tangy acids and a pronounced stony wet river pebble minerality on the long, unctuous finish.”
Giving the Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 a Wine Safari Score of 95/100, he concludes: “A wine with a revved up complexity and intensity, but also a delightfully sophisticated balance. This is top level Tetris where all the blocks have slotted in together seamlessly to create a wine of beauty. Enjoy on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years.”
We are immensely proud of this success for our first foray into the Decanter Awards, and wish to congratulate our team on their phenomenal results.
