A.A.Badenhorst, The Curator White Blend Swartland 2023

90 points Decanter
"Retailing under £10 this is an absolute steal. Delicate and ever so easy, there's calm white stone fruit on the nose followed by a mouthwatering palate that's a touch smoky, cool and fresh. It's a blend of grapes sourced from a number of growers, with 56% Chenin Blanc, 22% Chardonnay, 19% Viognier and 2% Colombard."

Jancis Robinson
"Empty bottle 410 g. Majority Chenin Blanc, plus Chardonnay, Viognier and a tiny bit of Colombard. The vineyards are mostly bush vines growing in granite and slate soils, and the grapes were sourced from a number of traditional farmers. The grapes were picked by hand, chilled overnight and then pressed to settling tanks. The following day the juice was drawn off into tanks to begin fermentation. The Chardonnay was naturally fermented and took a long time to complete. After six months, the wines were blended before bottling. Winemaker Adi Badenhorst. Screwcap. TA 5.4 g/l, pH 3.6, RS 3.5 g/l. Vegan. Exclusive. Available in over 200 shops.
Light nose. Very pleasing and interesting for the money. The Chardonnay portion really adds interest. Tastes richer than 13% but the residual sugar is not intrusive. VGV *very good value* 16/20 points."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Washington Post
“I have not made a secret of my love for the wines of Adi Badenhorst, especially his Secateurs chenin blanc, which I have reviewed here for several vintages and regard as a perennial “great value” at about $15. When I tasted the Curator, a blend of chenin blanc, chardonnay and Viognier, I thought it was a more expensive wine in Badenhorst’s line, but no, it is priced even lower. It floored me with its quality for the price, racy acidity, medium body, pure fruit unencumbered by oak. This is a “patio pounder,” a “table pounder,” whatever cliche you want to use for an exciting, inexpensive wine. Some stores may still have the 2016, which is also delicious, though the freshness of the 2017 adds extra excitement.”
The Swartland region is located on a mountain range, which is a granite outcrop. Three distinctive types of granitic soil are found in the area, specifically Paardeberg, Lammershoek and Lemoenfontein granites. The soils are extremely old and considered by many to be ‘low potential‘. Yields are generally quite low. No irrigation is used. Rainfall is around 480mm/year, falling mainly in the winter months of May – August/September. Winters tend to be cold and wet and leaf fall is quite sudden with the onset of each Winter. Otherwise, the weather is quite similar to that of a Mediterranean climate.