Alheit Vineyards 'Cartology', Western Cape, South Africa 2022
Alheit Vineyards 'Cartology', Western Cape, South Africa 2022
“Another superb Cartology release.” - Greg Sherwood MW, 95+ points
We are offering the Cartology 2022 on a 'first-come, first-served' basis, which, when you think about it, is nothing more than the usual terms of engagement between merchant and customer. In fact, supermarket checkout queues would be pandemonium if any other system were in place.
We were lucky enough to attend a vertical tasting of every vintage since its debut in 2011, so we can safely say that Cartology is a wine that ages beautifully for at least a decade. The Chenin Blanc component (representing 92% of the blend) comes from a widespread patchwork of parcels in the Skurfberg, Tygerberg and Paardeberg, as well as Bottelary, Stellenbosch, Piekenierskloof, False Bay and Botrivier and the Semillon comes from the old La Colline block in Franschhoek. You pick up a lot of minerality and stony crunch on the nose, with impressions of crushed chalk and broken clay, leading to succulent stone fruit and quince flavours on the palate and a delicate hint of frangipane. This is an intense and striking wine that is rightfully held up as one of the most important pieces in the Cape's 'old vine' jigsaw. 13% alc. Drink now-2034.
Press reviews:
Tim Atkin MW: “"It was a vintage that gave you the chance to show what you were made of," says Chris Alheit of the "middling 2022 growing season". It certainly did. This is a brilliant cuvée of Chenin Blanc with 8% Semillon, sourced from ten different vineyards. Showing lots of energy from early picked grapes on granite soils, it has fennel, fynbos and lanolin aromas, citrus, green herb and wet stone flavours, and good ageing potential, despite the heat of the vintage. Drink now-2030.“ 95 points
Greg Sherwood MW: “This flagship blend from Chris Alheit is made from 92% Chenin Blanc and 8% Semillon grapes sourced from eight disparate old vine vineyards of between 40 and 60 years old. The youthful aromatics display a melange of granitic minerality over notes of peach, tangerine, orange oil and wet hay nuances. The 2022 is beautifully cool, harmonious and overtly mineral-led with dusty dried herbs, white peach, green pear and yellow stone fruits. The acids are gentle, soft spoken but deliciously tangy and the finish creamy, leesy and delightfully mouth-coating with and impressively persistent length. Yet another superb Cartology release from Chris ‘Butch’ Alheit. Drink now and over the next 10 to 12+ years.” 95+ points
JancisRobinson.com (Tamlyn Currin): “A mesmerising unfurling of fragrance from the moment you put the glass to your nose: wild-meadow grass and flowers, hay and summer honey, grainy pears. The acidity is ripe and broad and spreads across the mouth from side to side rather than beginning to end. Delicate bitterness forms the spine; apple pips, citrus peel, apricot stone. Very savoury finish. Fruit is muted. Texture is what’s left on the length. Rumpled linen. Drink now-2032.” 17+ points
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“Exciting and sculpted. Just brilliant!” – Jancis Robinson MW, 17 points
A new wine from Chris Alheit is big news in these parts, which is a reflection of Chris Alheit’s mighty reputation and not a criticism of these parts. It’s a Chenin Blanc made from young vines, planted by Chris and Suzaan with one eye on the future (young vines eventually become old vines after all) and is made in the same way as their single vineyard wines (malolactic fermentation, 18 months in barrel etc.) and is abuzz with energy and precision. It’s a fantastic example of bush-vine Chenin full of cool stone fruits and something earthy, like grist from the mill, and plenty of dry extract and tannic pinch to give it authority. A wine that bridges the gap between their (sadly discontinued) Flotsam and Jetsam white and their premium ‘single vineyard’ cuvées. 13.5% alc. Drink now-2030.
Press review:
JancisRobinson.com: “Wild honey, sour cherry, mimosa on the nose. Honeysuckle. Quince on the palate and then both taut and rich, dense and wired to cutting point; lime marmalade and gingerbread. Floral and tense and thrilling. So goddam alive! It tastes as if it wants to take off like a rocket. (TC)” 17 points
Jancis Robinson MW: “Rich and very honeyed and Chenin. Exciting and sculpted. Just brilliant!Long, throbbing fruit. (JR)” 17 points
Greg Sherwood MW: “Made from a mixture of young and older vines aged between 5 and 40 years old, after 18 months of elevage with 66% aged on its fine lees, the complex aromatics reveal a rich leesy, savoury yellow fruited nose with pithy white citrus, peach stone, bitter almonds, dried herbs, orange blossom and hints of lemon oil. Rich but not too overtly “fruity”, the palate is plush, harmonious and textural with hints of honeydew melon, lemon pastille, white peach and savoury leesy biscuit hints. Really quite serious, and seriously delicious! Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.” 94 points
Vinous: “The 2022 Hereafter Here is a mixture of young and old vines due to the higher yields this year, whole bunch pressed with 18 months elevage, two-thirds on the lees. The well-defined bouquet has yellow plum, orange blossom, Japanese yuzu and crushed stone aromas. The palate is very harmonious, with a crisp line of acidity. A linear, alost Zen-like razor-sharp Chenin displaying wonderful nerve on the finish. Superb.” 91 points
Tim Atkin: “Herafter Here is Chris Alheit's biggest-production Chenin Blanc, made from five different sources in Stellenbosch and the Swartland. The vines are mostly younger, producing a wine that's comparatively immediate, with a nice interplay between peach an green apple fruit and impressive brightness for a 2022 release. 2023-28.” 93 points
Customer comment:
“A very good (if pricier) replacement for the much-missed Flotsam & Jetsam!” - Mr T.P
From the famous rocky outcrop of decomposed granite that is farmed by local heroes like Eben Sadie and Craig Hawkins, the 2022 ‘Fire By Night’ shows classic Paardeberg characteristics of richness, minerality and tension in equal measure. Pear, mango, apple granita, green plum, lime juice and thatching straw feature in this taut and chiselled Chenin Blanc. 12.5% alc. Fermented in cement eggs. Drink now-2034.
Press reviews:
Tim Atkin MW “Fire by Night all comes from the Alheits' Nuwedam property on the Paardeberg and shows both the quality of the terroir and the talent of the winemaker. Old vines planted between 1971 and 1985 supply the raw material for this taut, chiselled, old wood-matured Chenin. Wild mountain herb, citrus and lime juice flavours are complemented by notes of oatmeal and wax and a bracingly fresh finish. Drink now-2032“ 97 points
Jancis Robinson.com: “Smells like tarte Tatin before it goes into the oven. But very tight – still way too young to drink. Crunchy raw pear. Sorrel. Toast and smoke. Green apricot. Apricot-skin texture and very very very stony. The finish is the mouth-watering taste of cement dust. And wonderful bitterness that weaves real tension and length into the finish. (TC). Drink 2024-2032.” 17++ points
“Superb.” - Neal Martin, 94 points
When we tasted the first vintage of this Chenin Blanc, we didn’t realise that what we were tasting was potential. It was good, very good, but with the release of their fourth vintage we’re no longer tasting potential, we are tasting the realisation of a fantastic project and I have no hesitation in stating that this is one of the finest Chenin Blancs ever to emerge from South Africa.
Brookdale may be a new kid on the block, but they have really hit the ground running. The wily Duncan Savage made the first 2 vintages, but Kiara Scott, a graduate of the Cape Winemakers’ Guild Protegé Programme, is now firmly in the driving seat and the quality just keeps getting better and better. The 2023 is a little broader than previous iterations, reflective of the sunny year, but it is still precision-tooled, with sleek contours and discreetly concentrated fruit framed by the most delicious accents of nutty, toasty oak. In that respect it has echoes of white Burgundy, animated as it is by a granitic minerality and zippy acidity, which feels more like internal ‘energy’ than simply low PH, yet its overall architecture is defiantly ‘old vine’ Cape Chenin, broadening on the palate to encompass orange orchard fruits, white pear and salted lime, before tapering slowly to a fine, focused finish. 13% alc. Certified Heritage Vineyards (South Africa's old-vine certification). Drink now-2032.
Press review:
Vinous: “The 2023 Chenin Blanc comes from vines planted in 1985 and aged for 11 months in 500-litre French oak and Stockinger foudres. This is very pure and expressive on the nose: white fruit, melted candle wax and light papaya that blossom in the glass. The palate is very well-balanced, with gorgeous texture, tensile from start to finish, with a bright, seductive apricot and clementine-driven finish that is nigh irresistible. Superb. Drink now-2040“ 94 points
Customer reviews:
”We are already one bottle into the Brookdale, delicious, I will definitely be back for more in the future.” - Mr. F. W.
“One of the top 2 whites I’ve had this year.” - Mr O. B.