FRYER'S COVE West Coast Chenin blanc 2022

Fryers Cove once seemed an improbable dream – to plant vines on a remote stretch of land just 500 m from the Atlantic Ocean at Bamboes Bay on the rugged Cape West Coast. Yet local farmer Jan van Zyl and his father, Jan Ponk, set out on this great adventure more than 30 years ago. The cellar is in an old crayfish factory which has a jetty over the ocean. Icy seawater is pumped into the cellar and through the tanks to cool the wine during fermentation. From this mindset of ingenuity and minimalism flows authentic wines that are forged of the earth, tempered by the sea.

Welcome to Fryer's Cove

These dryland Chenin Blanc vineyards are planted on Western slopes with deep red, decomposed granite soils facing the cold Atlantic which brings in the cooling air from the ocean and helps to maintain the vigour of our grapes 2022 was an exceptional year for Chenin Blanc on our rugged West Coast It was cooler and a little later than normal in the period leading up to harvest with optimal conditions for ripening and created the perfect environment for a beautiful expression of terroir.

Our grapes were harvested during the night and early morning to retain the purity of the grapes with the majority 62 going into Stainless Steel tanks for freshness, while the remainder 38 went into 3rd and 4th fill 300 L French oak barrels for added complexity.

The components were aged for 4 months before blending and bottling to enhance the weight and mouthfeel of the palate of this wine.