Collectible Vintage Oniv Chenin Blanc 2022

The Collectible Vintage Oniv Chenin Blanc is the result of South Africa’s Master Sommelier, Gareth Ferreira, and entrepreneur Clayton Foster’s collaboration. This wine appeared on my social media pages daily and my mouth was watering for nearly six months to taste this maiden wine. The name of the producer is also interesting, pointing to something that is worth collecting (‘collectible’). Fortunately, Gareth and Clayton understand the power of liquid to lips and this wine sold out before pre-orders could even properly take place. Just over 1,000 bottles were produced.

The grapes for this wine were sourced from two sites: Kaapzicht (40% from the Kliprug vineyard and 10% from another vineyard, aged in new Hungarian oak) and Stellenrust. The small part of this wine that was aged in Hungarian oak adds to the richness of the wine and the barrel maturation for 11 months adds to the complexity and elegancy of this wine. There is also a 10% portion of Colombard in this wine.

In your glass, this wine has a light-yellow colour with a green-gold hue. It is forthcoming on the nose with elegant notes of perfume, apple blossom, quince and a hint of white flowers. The entry of this wine is very fresh with a zippy acidity, immediately softening on the palate and then expressing notes of pear drop, bruised green apple, fresh peaches, quince, honeysuckle and perfume. It finishes with a fresh stone minerality that cam be ascribed to the granitic soils in which the vines were planted.

The Collectible Vintage Oniv Chenin Blanc is a great and important addition to the South African wine producing market. It is trendy and in new world style, showcasing some of the best characteristics of this grape variety. If you can get your hands on this wine, I suggest that you chill it well and enjoy right away. If not, the next vintage can be pre-ordered on their website. This wine will possibly pair well with many dishes but I would recommend that it is enjoyed on its own. The cellaring potential of this wine is probably 3-5 years. It is a must try wine!

Producer: Collectible Vintage

Variety: Chenin Blanc 90%, Colombard 10%

Vintage: 2022 (maiden)

Origin: Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

Winemaker: Gareth Ferreira, Clayton Foster

Closure: Cork

Alcohol: 13.86%

RS: 2.0g/l

Average price: R250

Rating: 95/100