Breedekloof’s flagship Chenins promise much but it’s early days still
Speaking for the Breedekloof Makers, Attie Louw of Opstal Estate in the Slanghoek ward north-west of Rawsonville and Worcester reports that since 2015 the band of winemakers have been upping their efforts in focusing on the crafting of small-volume, boutique Chenin Blanc. They have committed to emphasising the [top] quality that specially selected, diverse sites in the Breede River Valley are capable of with a variety that has been farmed in the region for many generations.
Currently, the Breedekloof Makers comprise 12 winemakers at cellars that range from co-ops to small, family-owned boutique outfits. Louw remarks that perceptions of the Breedekloof as a limited, staid district are shifting – particularly among certain wine critics and in the trade, locally and internationally. However, obviously, the outcome of sighted tastings with enthusiastic winemakers and marketers in attendance can be quite different to verdicts delivered during the course of objective reviews involving panels of judges and with the labels out of sight.