2023 Miles Mossop Chapters Chenin Blanc

Grapes used to make the Miles Mossop Wines 2023 Stellenbosch Chapters Chenin Blanc were planted in 1982 on the same property as the Sauvignon Blanc. The decomposed shale soils are the same, and the bush-trained vines are not irrigated. Vintner Miles Mossop finds that picking between 13% and 13.5% potential alcohol strikes a better balance with sweet ripe fruit, drying mineral and a balanced mouthfeel. Texture is very important to this winemaker. He presses whole-bunch fruit a bit harder to get more phenolic character out of the skins. This Chenin Blanc shows a crunchy side with pithy apple and peach. Second-fill barrel is used for aging. If you pick above 13.5% potential alcohol, he finds that Chenin Blanc becomes too heavy on the yellow fruit spectrum. 93 points