‘Mathias’

Chenin Blanc | South Africa

Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

This is the maiden vintage of a wine named after Franco Lourens’s newborn son in 2024, Mathias. For years Chenin from the Uitvlught Farm have been a key component to the ‘Lindi Carien’ blend (and Van Loggerenberg’s Trust Your Gut + Wolf & Woman’s Chenin and others), but Franco felt it was time for this special site to stand on its own. This tiny two acre parcel of 44-year-old, dryland bush vines were first planted in 1981 on the famed decomposed granitic sand of the Joubertskloof valley of the Paardeberg. Franco treats this and the Skuinskap in the same manner and it is an enlightening tasting of the two wines side-by-side as a study in soils, elevation and climate.

The fruit was hand-harvested in a single pass and hand sorted at the winery. Then the bunches were left intact and whole-bunch pressed and after a very light settling racked to old 500L French tonneau where the wine fermented on the lees. After 10 months in wood the wine was then racked to tank where it settled naturally without fining, and bottled with a coarse filtration and small sulfur addition.

Stats

Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc
Vineyard: Uitvlught Farm (Paardeberg - Joubertskloof)
Vine Age: 45-years-old
Soil Type: Decomposed granite
Viticulture: Practicing organic – dry-farmed
Fermentation: Native – neutral 500L French tonneau
Aging: 10 months in neutral 500L French tonneau
Alcohol: 13.3%
pH: 3.12
Total Acidity: 6.9 g/L
Total SO2: 59 ppm
Total Production: 108 cases

Tasting Note

Reminiscent of Bach’s ‘Prelude from a Cello Suite’ in that nothing is ornamental nor superfluous, yet every sip reveals another layer of feeling and emotion. It begins with quiet notes of pear, white peach, citrus zest, and beeswax before deeper harmonies of crushed stone, toasted sesame seeds, fresh herbs, and a leesy complexity resonating beneath the melody. The wine never hurries; its tension builds with patient tones and remarkable calming clarity. Like the finest performances, it leaves you with the curious sensation that something profoundly singular has somehow become unforgettable.

Press & Reviews

James Suckling

94

"This pure white has lots of rocky minerality, combined with lemongrass and straw aromas and a lemony freshness. Touch of white sesame and salted almonds. Bright and energetic, with a medium to full body and lots of tension at the end. This is a new bottling of a single vineyard in the Perdeberg. Drink or hold."
- Claire Nesbitt

Vinous

93

"The 2024 Chenin Blanc Mathias Single Vineyard is also raised in 500-litre used barrels. This has an intriguing bouquet: caramelised pear, beeswax, grilled walnuts and a light orange zest scent, with hints of wet wool emerging with time. Complex. The palate is very well balanced with white peach and Anjou pear on the entry. Very good tension but elegant and refined towards the finish. Plenty of flavour here - this is a very seductive Chenin Blanc from winemaker Franco Lourens."
- Neal Martin

The WineMag

97

"From a 0.9ha Paardeberg vineyard planted in 1981. Lime, lemon, green apple, peach, herbs, a hint of ginger and some leesy complexity. Super-concentrated with punchy acidity, the finish long and savoury, slightly pithy in texture. A riveting wine – great focus with plenty of hidden power. Al: 13.34%."
- Christian Eedes

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