Damascene Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc '24

Damascene's 2024 Stellenbosch Chenin is a blend of three old vineyards of the hilly Bottelary ward – Sonop, Houmoed, and Mooiplaas. Each vineyard has roots in different soils, is a different age, and was picked on a different day but they come together seamlessly to present a Chenin of cohesion and complexity.

While we hate to compare, it often feels like a dare to do so when a brilliant winemaker makes two wines of the same varietal and with the same winemaking technique. Jean Smit's Stellenbosch Chenin is more textured, herbaceous, and pithy than its sun-kissed Swartland counterpart; has a shyer nose, a tighter palate, and a more layered core. Vastly different to one another and yet, equally compelling. 

It's impossible to pick a favourite, so get two of each – a bottle of each to enjoy immediately and then again in 3-5 years.