Chenin & Pinotage
Timed Online Auction, 4 - 11 September 2023
Chenin & Pinotage
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Chris and Suzanne Alheit set the wine world on fire with their maiden 2011 Cartology receiving 96 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Aiming to harness the best old vineyards across the Cape, the Cartology offered a textured old-vine Chenin Blanc Semillon blend with startling purity and depth. Passionate and focused on the expression of place, tiny, long-forgotten parcels were added to the range, and are today South Africa’s most profound white wines. We auction maiden vintages of Magnetic Makstok on the legendary ‘Skurfkop’ in the Citrusdal area, Huilkrans in the Paardeberg, La Colline in Franschhoek, and, extremely rare Radio Lazarus in Stellenbosch.
Fire by Night is a single origin Chenin Blanc wine grown on Alheit's Paardeberg property called Nuwedam. The Paardeberg holds a mythical place in their hearts. It is both ground zero for the quality revolution that’s sweeping the Cape, and home base for some of our country’s wine heroes. Previously under-valued, the Paardeberg sports an embarrassment of riches: pure decomposed granite soil and an abundance of dry-farmed old bushvines.
Provenance
Wine Cellar Private Client
Critics Ratings
'Described by Chris Alheit as his “ode to the Paardeberg” mountain, this new wine comes from three bush vine parcels on Christa von La Chevallerie’s farm. It’s light and refreshing, despite the underlying concentration and full malolactic with a thread of vivid acidity and fine minerality. 2019-25.' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2018, 94/100
'From three parcels on Christa von La Chevallerie’s Paardeberg farm planted between 1974 and 1980. Arresting aromatics of flowers, dried herbs, peach and apple. Beautifully pure fruit plus plenty of zip – bright but not aggressive acidity. The finish, meanwhile, is long and saline. A wine that’s all about about clarity.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 94/100
'The 2017 Fire By Night (a biblical phrase referring to the Israelites) comes from pure bush vine Chenin Blanc, from two parcels planted in 1974 and 1980. It is fermented and matured in used neutral barrels. The complex, lucid, attractive bouquet features white peach, clementine, rooibos and hints of chamomile. The pure, nicely focused palate is very well balanced, and hints of orange peel, ginger and chai appear toward the persistent finish. Superb.' - Neal Martin, Vinous, 93/100 (Aug 2018)
'The 2017 Fire By Night Chenin Blanc begins with a subtle yet structured nose of faint peanut shells, nutty lemon and citrus blossoms. The wine has a textural weight across the mid-palate, revealing some waxiness and a fresh and zippy acid backbone. The finish has some grippy phenolics with a slight bitterness. The wine is medium-bodied and did not see any new oak. Only 280 cases were produced.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 90/100 (Oct 2019)
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