'Chris and Suzaan Alheit are firmly ensconced amongst the elite South African producers.' — Neal Martin, vinous.com
Chris and Suzaan Alheit founded Alheit Vineyards in 2010. Their flagship wine, Cartology, sought to map out the viticultural heritage of South Africa through old vine Chenin Blanc and Semillon, sourced from parcels dotted throughout the Western Cape. The requirements were simple: bush vines, dry farmed, at least 35 years old. Single-vineyard wines followed, distinctive old vineyard sites vinified sensitively in order to magnify the expression of place. Local and international recognition was swift.
Vines, however, do not live forever. Even the most carefully tended old vineyard will start to fail, especially in the face of the kind of multi-year drought that struck the Cape from 2014 to 2019. It brought home to the Alheits the need to plan for the future: every great old vineyard was once a new planting, every old vine was once young. And so, in 2020, a new wine was added to their range. Hereafter Here, 100% Chenin Blanc, incorporates younger vineyards the Alheits have discovered over the years alongside new plantings, both their own and from their growers. The first few vintages provided bright, charming wines - delicious, if not as complex as Cartology.
2023 was, in the opinion of Chris Alheit, one of the finest vintages he will ever have the privilege to work with. Weather, ripening, logistics, yields: everything came together perfectly, and the earlier harvest dates for Chenin Blanc spared them from the late rain which ruined the vintage for many other producers. The result for Hereafter Here was a more savoury, serious wine than in previous vintages, with greater intensity and depth on the palate. A stunning vintage for the 'value' wine in the Alheit portfolio. /JH
'I concur with Alheit. His 2023s surpass his 2022s, which means they are quite brilliant... Alheit's wines represent the apex of contemporary Cape winemaking, infused with character, nuance and expression of place without a sense of conformity. No wonder that allocations are rapidly snapped up.' — Neal Martin, vinous.com
