Alheit, Cartology Bush Vines Western Cape 2023

95 points Vinous
"Cartology, Alheit’s flagship blend, received a boost in 2023 with the inclusion of top-tier Chenin Blanc that would normally be reserved for Nautical Dawn. The result is a wine that Martin described as stunningly pure, with aromas of yellow fruit, peach skin, and lanolin. The wine’s vibrant acidity and mineral-driven finish make it one of the finest examples of a South African white in this vintage, with its long, complex palate leaving a lasting impression."

Jancis Robinson
"Cartology parcels are dry-farmed bush vines, with a minimum age of 35 years, although most are between 40 and 50 years old. Average yields for these parcels is around 3 tons/ha or around 20 hl/ha. Cartology 2023 is 94% Chenin Blanc and 6% Sémillon. The Chenin comes from our parcels in the Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Malmesbury, Paardeberg, Bottelary, False Bay and Tygerberg. The Sémillon comes from the old La Colline block in Franschhoek. The grapes were hand-sorted and whole-bunch pressed. The juice was very lightly settled to very cloudy raw juice with no additions to the raw juice. Spontaneous fermentation took place in concrete eggs, old foudres and old barrels (various sizes). Fermentation of various parcels lasted anywhere between three weeks and 11 months. The wine was kept on lees for around 12 months, then rested in tank on fine lees without fining for a further five months prior to bottling. RS 2 g/l, TA 5.67 g/l, pH 3.36.
Tense nose. It smells of a sense of waiting, of expectation, the pause before the storm. Tangerine. Pineapple skin. Pomelo. There's a moment, mid palate, when the flavours, too, pause, coiling into themselves as if trying to contain their energy. A wine that seems in no hurry to spread its wings, although you can see them there, rippling with undercurrent of power. An aggregate of tiny snapshots of gold and green, filling the corners with nervous energy. Hold this back if you can – it needs all the time you can give it. 17++/20 points. (TC)"

Vinous Reverie Notes
Jancis Robinson - Previous Vintage Wine of the Week
"The French have a unit of sensory measurement known as a caudalie, 'equal to one second's length of a wine's impact on the palate after swallowing or spitting' (Oxford Companion to Wine). I don't think I have ever heard anyone use this term but I lost count of my caudalies with this wonderful South African Chenin Blanc in its maiden vintage. I tasted the wine at my desk one evening, wrote my tasting note, then wandered off to do something else. When I came back to my desk many caudalies later (minutes rather than seconds), I still had that lovely flavour in my mouth.
My tasting note reads: Very pale, soft gold colour. Even when quite chilled and first opened, an inviting aroma: sharpness of quince plus the richness of just-ripe apricots, plus a mealy, leesy depth. The palate is a wonderful combination of tension and freshness with a creamy, nutty spread across the breadth and length of the palate. At this youthful stage, a little smoky and mineral and a very slight chew on the finish. Great concentration and length yet still so lively and a hint of saltiness on the finish.
Cartology (meaning 'the study of maps') is made by Chris (right) and Suzaan (below) Alheit from very old, unirrigated bushvines in different parts of the Cape (see the map below, taken from their website): 30% Perdeberg, 30% Skurfberg (Citrusdal Mountain), 20% Kasteelberg, 12% Bottelary Hills, 8% Franschhoek. It is all Chenin Blanc apart from the 8% from Franschhoek, which is old-vine Sémillon.
The Alheits, who have worked not only in the Cape but also in the Napa Valley, Western Australia, Clare Valley, St-Émilion, the Mosel, intend their wine 'to be a picture of the Cape, seen through the lens of her mature vineyards, in a given vintage'.
In order to do this, and to make their wine a 'gymnast rather than a sumo wrestler', the grapes are cooled, hand sorted and whole-bunch pressed. The juice is lightly settled and then goes into old oak barrels. Once fermentation has started, without the addition of yeasts, the barrels are monitored daily. They make no acid adjustment, add no enzymes and add SO2 only post fermentation. Total production of this wine is just 5,000 bottles.
The Alheits are based at a mountain farm high on the Hemel & Aarde Ridge in Walker Bay. There's more information about them and their philosophy on their very attractive website."