BARTÀS
WINE: BARTÀS CHENIN BLANC 2024
PRODUCTION: 1300 BOTTLES
REGION: STELLENBOSCH, HELDERBERG
VINEYARD: RUSTENHOF
VARIETY: CHENIN BLANC
AGE OF THE VINES: 46 YEARS
YIELDS: 2.5 T/HA
SOIL: DECOMPOSED GRANITE
FARMING: SUBSTAINABLE
RAINFALL: 800 MM PER YEAR
IRRIGATION: NO
PRUNING: GOBELET
ALTITUDE: 65 METERS
HARVEST: BY HAND WITH SORTING YEAST: INDIGENEOUS
WINEMAKING: WHOLE BUNCH PRESSED INTO OLD OAK BARRELS
AGING: 12 MONTHS ON LEES
FINING: NO
FILTRATION: NO
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
RESIDUAL: 1.9 G/L
PH: 3.10
ACIDITY: 6.5 G/L
TOTAL SULFUR: 91 MG/L
01
The name
We found our way and finally jumped to start another (wine) adventure.
04
The story
Chenin Blanc bush vines, planted in 1978, on shallow and warm granite soils in the Helderberg, the most southern part of the Stellenbosch region. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed into old oak barrels, spontaneously fermented and matured in 500 litres barrels for 12 months, before racked and bottled.
02
The variety
Chenin Blanc is a very honest variety. We are trying to explore all aspects of the grape and while doing so, apply what we have learned and repeat.
05
The descriptors
On the nose, we pick up a couple of different notes of citrus, fresh fruits, green pineapple and cantaloupe. The pallet is flinty, precise and on point. Pure fruit plays off against a snappy, racy acidity before a finish that is long and pithy, wonderfully
refined with a crystalline structure.
03
The vineyard
Facing directly into the predominant south eastern wind direction and close to the ocean.
Both of these have a phenomenal cooling effect during the summer months as well as the general growing pattern throughout
the year. It is the perfect conditions for a crisp and energetic Chenin blanc.
The first vintage of Bartàs was in 2021, a wine that reflects the character of a single site we've come to know and love.
Ratings & Accolades
2021 - 96 Christian Eedes (Winemag), 93 Tim Atkin, 94 David Swingler (Platter’s Wine Guide 2023)
“ … Bartàs 2021 from a vineyard planted in the 1970s on the increasingly famous Rustenhof farm in the Lower Helderberg is sensational. Winemaking involving spontaneous fermentation before 12 months of maturation in old oak, the nose is subtle but complex with notes of pear, quince, peach, citrus, hay, a touch of ginger and some leesy complexity while the palate has great fruit concentration and punchy acidity before a long and pithy finish. All of a piece with great detail.” Christian Eedes
“ Gentle fragrance, earthiness, just hint of apple blossom, understatement, too, in serene ans silky texture yet still full of sunshine. Underpinned by acidity that gives memorable form and length.” David Swingler
2022 - 93 Tim Atkin, 94 David Swingler (Platter’s Wine Guide 2024)
“ … Fermented in seasoned oak, it's a pithy, stony, low-alcohol style with considerable poise and concentration, green apple and lemongrass flavours and a tapering finish. 2023-26 “ Tim Atkin
“ Delicately full aromas and flavours, a hint of fragrant floral charm to the fruit. Fresh and pure, silky grip.” David Swingler
2023 - 94 Tim Atkin, 94 James Sucking, 17.5 Jancis Robinson
“One of two very good Chenins from Paul Jordaan and Pauline Roux, this comes from a 1978 parcel in Stellenbosch and speaks eloquently of its granite soils. Spicy, salty and pithy, it has a nip of skin tannin, remarkable length and precision and flavours of quince and lemon zest." Tim Atkin MW
“Yellow fruit aromas integrate seamlessly with notre of cursed stones, honey and thyme. It’s medium-bodied, mineral and full of tension. Racy and tightly wound in terms of structure, but full of flavour... Drink or hold.” James Sucking
"Honey and honeysuckle fill the glass before its halfway to my lips. And then it arrives, and the wine is a collage of haptic flavours: a pepper-stippled swirl of creaminess, the sting and swash of grapefruit and citron, the fissure of apricot stone and the suck of apricot flesh. Crunch and crackle of acidity and something green that seems to snap the finish in half, leaving you reaching for the next sip." Tamlyn Currin of Jancis Robinson MW
2024 - 95+ Tim Atkin, 94 James Suckling, 96 David Swingler (Platter’s Wine Guide)
“Mineral, saline and savory, this has aromas of beeswax, lemon rind, herbs and salted almonds. It’s medium- to full-bodied with racy acidity. Excellent focus and length. From vines planted in 1978 in the Helderberg region of Stellenbosch. Drink or hold.” Jancis Robinson MW