Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2019 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a perennially excellent Chenin Blanc from South Africa that I've enjoyed several times over the years. While this particular vintage is sold out as it arrived at the LCBO a couple of summers ago, the latest vintage (2021) came to the LCBO last month as part of the June 18 LCBO VINTAGES Release - with plenty still available across Ontario.

Ken Forrester Vineyards is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the heart of South Africa's most famous wine region - Stellenbosch. It's history can be traced back to 1689 as one of the oldest farms in the Cape and changed hands over the years. In 1833, another German family took residence at the farm and happily grew vines for almost 100 years. The property fell on hard times in the early 1990s prior to the release of Nelson Mandela and the first democratic elections.

In 1993, Ken Forrester, his wife Teresa, and a young family in tow set their hearts on an historic vineyard in Stellenbosch. The farm and homestead were vacant and derelict when they bought it at a public auction in 1993 and undertook a massive renovation both in the vineyards and the house. Ken Forrester produced his first wines under his own label a year later and soon became the forefront of the Chenin Blanc revival. The grapes for his wines were grown on the property, with some of the vines planted as far back as 1970. Today, Ken Forrester's vineyards are commonly referred to as the Home of Chenin Blanc.

In 2019, Ken Forrester celebrated 25 years of wine life in Stellenbosch. With a vision for sustainable farming, Ken Forrester farms with no herbicides or pesticides. They also till, prune, and thin bunches and leaves, and harvest by hand. While labour intensive, their vision is to also improve the quality of life of their employees and the community. Beyond farming in a sustainable manner, Ken Forrester's philosophy has always been to create a range of handcrafted, individually made wines that suitably complement a wide variety of food styles and provide excellent value.

This Chenin Blanc was crafted using grapes from vines planted in 1974 on clovelly (deep yellow sand) soils. The mature, unirrigated vineyards have a south-southwest aspect with controlled yields. After hand harvesting with careful selection, the grapes were barrel and tank fermented and left on the lees (9 months in French oak with 20% new) matured on secondary lees for additional complexity.

2019 was a stellar year for Chenin Blanc in Stellenbosch with cool days and nights resulting in lovely acidity and great freshness.

Tasting Note:

KEN FORRESTER OLD VINE RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2019 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#231282) (XD) - $17.95
Screw cap. Lovely, intense, and elegant nose offers leesy and paraffin aromas mingling with baked apple-pear, stone fruit, herbs, and touches of lemon citrus adding further complexities. The full-bodied palate is rich, creamy, and textured with complex layers of honey, vanilla, oak spice, baked apple-pear, white pepper, white floral, and dried herb flavours in a dry profile. Acids are fresh, zesty, and textured, while leesy mineral with touches of baked apple, dried herb, and citrus linger on the long, juicy, lip-smacking finish. Has many years of enjoyment ahead. Score: 92 pts

Other lovely wines by Ken Forrester can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.