Tussock Jumper Chenin Blanc 2011
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This bush-vine chenin balances a pretty, white fruit expression of honeyed pear with a mouthwatering salinity that evokes the False Bay breezes that keep the area cool. Its flavors are pulled taut by pithy lemon and ruby-grapefruit acidity, an effect that Johan Joubert achieved through blending fresh Wellington fruit into the richer Helderberg harvest. It's juicy with a firm, stony structure.
Tussock Jumper is a premium wine brand created from the shared passion of wine specialists from eleven different countries.
Their aim is to bring together the world’s very best wines under a single, distinctive, quality mark: the woolly red sweater of Tussock Jumper. So you can jump from wine to wine, jumper to jumper, all around the world. What makes us truly unique is that all their wines are bottled at source – in the same place where the grapes are grown. And, because their producers appreciate the love they have for wine, they’re happy to pass on their very best quality wines to us.
You know what? That makes us kind of proud.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.