Chenin Blanc, Lismore Estate Vineyards 2022
Tim Atkin MW 93; Tim Atkin 93
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Why this wine
Barrel-fermented Chenin usually trades tension for weight; this one keeps both, with eleven months on the lees adding grip rather than fat. Walker Bay's sea breezes stretch the ripening and hold the acidity in place. It is the restrained end of Cape Chenin, and the range needs one.
At a glance
- Grape
- Chenin Blanc
- Region
- Greyton, South Africa
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Poultry & Pork, Salads
How it tastes
Orange blossom and jasmine on the nose, then a taut, linear palate that stays narrow and bright rather than broad. Eleven months on the lees in barrel adds a little grip without filling it out, and it finishes racy and dry. Chenin Blanc 100%.
The producer
The Californian Samantha O'Keefe founded Lismore Estate Vineyards in the foothills of a dramatic mountain range at the bottom of Africa, and the estate was recently classed as a First Growth and crowned Winery of the Year in Tim Atkin MW's 2026 South Africa Report; it also pioneered the Wine of Origin 'Greyton', designated by SAWIS in recognition of that terroir. The Chenin Blanc comes from the Walker Bay subregion, close to the southern tip of Africa's Cape South Coast, a cool-climate site where coastal breezes temper a warm microclimate and carry moisture off the sea, stretching hang time so the grapes ripen gradually and hold their acidity; the vines sit on mostly sandy, free-draining soils, trellised, judiciously irrigated and hand harvested. The fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed at 600 litres per tonne, the juice cold settled overnight and racked off its lees for a natural wild-yeast fermentation in barrel — two new 500-litre barrels, the remainder neutral 400-litre — then left eleven months on the lees for texture and complexity.
Food and drinking
Serve at 10–12°C. It goes with grilled white fish, roast pork, a fennel and apple salad, or a young goat's cheese. Drink now or over the next five to ten years; no decanting needed. Sealed with a DIAM closure. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.