Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2024
HK$ 245.40
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
These entry-level wines from A. A. Badenhorst Family Wines are just terrific. The well-priced 2024 Swartland Secateurs Chenin Blanc (in a screw-cap bottle with a label that identifies the variety by its synonym 'Steen') is exceptionally bright and floral with citrus, white rose and crushed stone. This dry white drinks very easily with good freshness and a playful hint of wild sage to close.
Features
Type of wine
Pairings
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Country
Region
Appellation
Alcohol
13.0%
Grapes
Serving
Between 6ºC and 8ºC
Winemaking
Fermented with indigenous yeasts in old foudres (25%) and a small batch fermented with the skins. Aged on lees for 10 months. Bottled without fining or filtering.
Description
In Swartland, where the sun is hot and the Atlantic wind chills the pulse, Adi Badenhorst decided that honest wine need not be solemn or expensive. Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc was born of that philosophy: secateurs in hand and a clear idea - if the old vines and granitic soil speak, the winery must only translate. The grapes for Chenin Blanc come mainly from Kalmoesfontein and Jakkalsfontein, on the northern slopes of the Paardeberg, a poor granite mountain that forces the roots to dig deep. These are dry-farmed goblet vines, many planted between the late 1960s and mid 1970s, with low yields (approx. 4,000 kg/ha) that concentrate tension, purity and character. The Badenhorst anecdote is almost a manifesto: instead of pursuing aesthetic "perfection", he prefers the authentic line; if a decision seems too comfortable, he usually chooses the most rustic and true, because that is where the identity of the place appears.
Elaboration
At Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc, the grapes are harvested by hand and cooled overnight to preserve aromatic precision. The following day, the grapes are pressed with whole bunches of grapes into a racking tank. Harvesting takes about 12 days and each day fresh must is added to tanks already in fermentation: this ongoing blending prolongs fermentation by about 20 days and achieves a natural integration of the various components. About 25% ferments in old barrels and foudres, looking for texture and breathing, not wood flavour. A small fraction ferments on skins and is then incorporated. The wine rests on gross lees for 7 months, with occasional stirring, before bottling.
Taste
Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc in the glass is luminous, with a restrained first taste that, on opening, brings stone fruit (peach), apple and a hint of quince. The palate is the hallmark: silky, ample, but crossed by a firm acidity that sharpens the whole. There is a noble bitterness of grapefruit and citrus peel, a subtle spice note and a dry, almost granite-dust mineral sensation. It finishes dry, long and juicy, with that combination of volume and nerve that turns each sip into the next.
Shipping to Hong Kong
Estimated transit time: 3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Complete box |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 6 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 7-11 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 12 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 13-17 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 18 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 19-23 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 24 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 25-29 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 30 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 31-35 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 36 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 37-41 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 42 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 43-47 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 48 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 49-53 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 54 bottles, Free shipping! |
| 55-59 bottles | HK$ 139.85 | 60 bottles, Free shipping! |
