David Finlayson “Camino Africana”
Chenin Blanc 2018
Wine Info
Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Grapes: Chenin Blanc 100%
ABV: 13.4%
Winemaker: David Finlayson
Viticulture: Organic, old vine vineyards (56 + 75 year old plantings)
Winemaking: Natural yeast fermentation in used French oak barrels (no oak flavor)
“It’s mouth-filling, buttery, silky, and refreshing at the same time.”
Chenin Blanc is a French grape, but there’s more Chenin Blanc planted in Africa than in France! In South Africa, Dutch explorers planted Chenin back in the 1600s and 1700s, and some of the vine material in the country stems from those old plantings. For a long time Chenin Blanc was called “Steen” in South Africa, before they figured out it was the same thing.
David Finlayson has been championing low-intervention wines for a long time, and this Chenin Blanc is a peak example of his work. This wine is made to express the pure varietal essence of the Chenin grape, and nothing else. There’s no oak or other distracting elements here; this is a pure, honest wine.
Texture is the most salient character of this wine. It’s mouth-filling, buttery, silky, and refreshing at the same time. Notes of fresh yellow apple and quince abound on the palate. Moreso, it’s an umami bomb. There’s a profound saline, savory note that makes this a great food wine.
Drink this with white fish and quiche and chicken and grilled veggies!
suggested pairings.
in partnership with Simply Real Health
We’ve partnered with Sarah Adler of Simply Real Health to provide recipes for all the wines in the July box. Sarah is a cookbook author, nutritional coach, and blogger who focuses on pure, natural ingredients in her cooking. We’ve been admiring her work for a long time and were so excited to collaborate on pairings with her! We hope you enjoy these summery, fresh recipes and make them alongside the wines in the July release.
Crispy Brown Butter Sole with Herby Rice
Chenin Blanc is a classic pairing with Sole and other mildly-flavored salt and freshwater fish. This recipe’s inclusion of brown butter makes it a perfect pairing with a silky, rich Chenin Blanc like this Finlayson. As a sommelier I’m always thinking of texture when I pair up food and wine like this. I think of all the recipe pairings in the box, this is the one you should definitely try.
Further Pairings
White meat like chicken and pork are great with fatter white wines like this. Vegetable dips, fresh homemade hummus, and light sandwiches would be great too. Think simpler, cleaner flavors.
Music: “You’re The One” by Elaine
A budding and extremely-talented South African artist with a velvety voice, to go with this silky wine. I love this beat and the soft background vocals. This is a summer twilight song.
Learn with the Circle
Join us on Youtube as we discuss the nuances of this wine and all the fun things that make it unique.
- Jackson