Alheit Vineyards - Olifants River Magnetic North Mountain 2023
South Africa
White
Sold individually
Drink or Keep
18/20
Jancis Robinson
-
95/100
Vinous
"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
Enjoy with sea bass roasted in Pastis, prawns sautéed in soy sauce, red tuna tataki...
Alheit Vineyards
Olifants River
Expert opinion
Wine Spectator
Domaine noté (guide 2021) Recommended (wine producer recommended by Wine Spectator)
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
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
Graded area (2020 guide) Recommended
Customer reviews
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