Cape Heritage and The Loire
Timed Online Auction, 1 - 12 August 2024
Cape Heritage - White Wines
About the SessionThe Cape Heritage White Wine Session features the noble variety, Chenin Blanc, known for its versatility and fruit intensity. South Africa has the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in the world and produces long-aging, diverse and fine wines.
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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.
Magnetic North is a single origin Chenin Blanc wine. Since it’s maiden vintage in 2013, this wine has become a perennial star in our line-up. Every vintage, it manages to combine power and finesse in a way very few other Chenin vineyards from anywhere (not just the Cape) are able to do. From the legendary ‘Skurfberg’ area, South Africa’s ‘grand cru’ site for Chenin Blanc. These vineyards are in the Citrusdal Mountain ward, situated in the mountain wilderness of the West Coast.
The vineyard lies a few degrees off true north from the cellar, roughly on magnetic North. The name implies distance and exploration. It implies a true course of action or movement. It implies an attractive force causing them to drive miles and miles for their vines. There is plenty of iron in the soil, which is a magnetic element, so that fit nicely too. In physical reality, Magnetic North is always moving, it never remains in the same place, so there is the added implication of a mysterious unattainable target.
Provenance
Wine Cellar Private Client
Critics Ratings
2018:
'Opening to a pale gold hue, the 2018 Magnetic North rocks out of the glass with rich, round and robust aromas. The nose is filled with scents of fresh-cut citrus skin, apple, pear, dusty citrus blossom, lemon pastry cream and dusty almonds. Medium-bodied, the mouthfeel is plush and rounded, with energetic acidity that drives the expression across the mid-palate. In the mouth, a growing mineral tension, white spice and nuttiness gain in amplitude, expressing the sophisticated effects of lees aging, concluding with a long, drawn-out finish. The wine is a success and draws me back for more. Tasty stuff!' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 92+/100 (Feb 2021)
'Thrilling 2018 from old (1981, 1984) ungrafted bushvine chenin from Citrusdal Mountain. Quiet starter, but builds on palate adding layers of tart apples, soft spice, lime zest & wet stones. Touch of creaminess balances out really zippy acidity. Just going to get better & better, as with uncompromisingly dry 2017.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2020, 5*, 95/100
'Basie van Lill, one of the Cape's greatest growers, provided the grapes for the 1,042 bottles of this Citrusdal Mountain Chenin Blanc, grown at 550 metres and cooled by afternoon breezes. With a pH of 3.1, despite almost completing a full malolactic fermentation, this is racy, pure and almost supernaturally focused with incredible palate length. 2021-33' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2019, 98/100
'From ungrafted Skurfberg Chenin Blanc. A subtle nose displaying a hint of reduction before pear, white peach and lime with a slight herbal note in the background. The palate is lean and linear with a lovely line of acidity and a pithy finish. There’s no shortage of fruit density here but currently the wine appears very tightly wound and should mature with great benefit. The Yin to the Yang that is Huilkrans.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 95/100 (Aug 2019)
'The 2018 Magnetic North comes from Citrusdal, like the Huilkrans. It has a much more backward and neutral bouquet, with fleeting pressed flower scents, and does not grab you by the lapels like the Huilkrans. The taut palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, good focus and glimpses of orange pith, apricot and ginger toward the finish. I suspect this is one of Alheit’s 2018s that will demand cellaring. One for the patient.' - Neal Martin, Vinous, 94+/100 (Oct 2019)
2019:
‘A rich and creamy, medium- to full-bodied white, but with a spine of vivid acidity keeping this fresh and racy, enlivening flavors of dried apricot, kumquat, persimmon and chamomile. Zips along to the lightly toasty finish, with hints of salted nut and butter. Drink now through 2026.’ – Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator, 92/100 (Jul 2021)
‘The 2019 Magnetic North is matured in cement eggs and used oak barrels. It has a lovely bouquet of peach skin, melted candle wax and light orange blossom scents that is simply irresistible. The aromatics are beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied and full of tension and energy, with a fine bead of acidity and a superb tensile, citric attack on the finish. A subtle egg yolk note lingers on the aftertaste, possibly deriving from the 3.5gm/L residual sugar. Superb.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 95/100 (Apr 2021)
‘Epitome of Cape old-vine chenin, 2019 from block nearing 40th birthday. Fine citrus pith & peel fruit edged with savoury star-anise spice, richer mid-palate (marmalade) balances out tingling acidity, sweeping in at endless finish. Sublime.’ - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2021, 5* (97/100)
‘Just a whisper away from perfection, this is what a great winemaker does with a world-class vineyard in a smart white wine vintage like 2019. Picked early to retain freshness and focus, Magnetic North hails from two dry-farmed bush vine parcels on Basie van Lill's property, planted in 1981 and 1984. Combining understated power with focus, it has line, length and focus with pear, citrus and wet pebble flavours and a hint of breeze-borne sea salt. Simply stunning. 2022-32’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2020, 99/100
‘From ungrafted Skurfberg Chenin Blanc. Compelling aromatics of pear, peach and grapefruit with both some smoky reduction and hay in the background. The palate, as ever, is just wonderfully pure, harmonious and long. It’s a little higher in alcohol and residual sugar than usual but this serves only to give the wine extra presence. Has a real completeness about it.’ – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 97/100 (Jul 2020)
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