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Alheit Vineyards - Olifants River Magnetic North Mountain 2023

South Africa

White

Sold individually

Drink or Keep

18/20

Jancis Robinson

-

95/100

Vinous

South Africa
chenin
purity
herbaceous
truffle brouillade

"According to Jancis Robinson, this pure, mineral cuvée from Alheit offers a spellbinding tasting experience thanks to its complexity!"

"The 2023 Magnetic North comes from vines not grafted onto their own roots, resulting from massal selection, but whose exact origin has been lost to time. It has a vibrant bouquet with a little more energy than the Huilkrans, extremely mineral with notes of sea spray and gunflint. The palate is very pure and pixelated, perfect in terms of acidity, with a hint of menthol on the finish. Remarkable." (Vinous 2024)

Features

Estate

Alheit Vineyards

Cuvée

Magnetic North

Vintage

2023

Designation

Citrusdal Mountain

Region

South Africa

Grape varieties

100% Chenin Blanc (non greffé)

Terroirs

Sandstone, gravel and clay soils with iron deposits, Skurfberg and Arbeidseind farm vineyards, vines planted in 1981 and 1984, at an altitude of 520 metres, south-east facing, warm Mediterranean climate.

Viticulture

Reasoned

Harvest

Manual

Winemaking

Fermented with indigenous yeasts, whole bunch pressed and placed in casks and cemented eggs.

Breeding

12 months on total lees, then 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel vats, unfined and unfiltered.

Alcohol content

13,2%

Tasting & pairing

Eye

Straw color, golden highlights, shiny disk

Nose

A complex expression of grapefruit, rooibos and pear, with fresh nuances reminiscent of sea mist.

Mouth

Powerful and ethereal, with a vibrant, beautifully balanced, textured structure and a long, fine, subtly saline, zesty finish of great elegance.

Serve

AT 10-12°C

Open

1 to 2 hours before

Drink from

2024

Drink before

2042

Production

3,800 bottles

Food and wine pairing

Food and wine pairing

Enjoy with sea bass roasted in Pastis, prawns sautéed in soy sauce, red tuna tataki...

Alheit Vineyards

More information on Alheit Vineyards

Olifants River

More information on Olifants River

Expert opinion

Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator

Domaine noté (guide 2021) Recommended (wine producer recommended by Wine Spectator)

Jancis Robinson

Jancis Robinson

Wine rated (guide 2024 ) 18/20

About the wine:

The smell of rain on old red bricks. A cubist wine. Sun, earth, roots, wind, fruit and rain are brought together in a geometric liquid. Both vertical and horizontal. A wine that cuts space into strata. A pleochroism: different colors from different angles. Salted lemons. Coriander, fennel flowers and tarragon. Truffle. Obsidian thorn. Blackboard chalk. Mouth-watering before a thunderstorm on a hot, calm, dusty day. Bewitching power. 2026-2035

Vinous A. Galloni

Vinous A. Galloni

Wine rated (guide 2024) 95/100

About the wine:

The 2023 Magnetic North comes from vines not grafted onto their own roots, resulting from massal selection, but whose exact origin has been lost over time. It has a vibrant bouquet with a little more energy than the Huilkrans, extremely mineral with notes of sea spray and gunflint. The palate is very pure and pixelated, perfect in terms of acidity, with a hint of menthol on the finish. Remarkable. 2026-2042

Tim Atkin

Tim Atkin

Graded area (2020 guide) Recommended

Customer reviews

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