Alheit Vineyards | Sadie Family Wines | Vilafonté
Live Virtual Auction, 10 October 2021
Fine Wine
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Chris and Suzanne Alheit set the wine world on fire with their maiden 2011 Cartology receiving 96 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Aiming to harness the best old vineyards across the Cape, the Cartology offered a textured old-vine Chenin Blanc Semillon blend with startling purity and depth. Passionate and focused on the expression of place, tiny, long-forgotten parcels were added to the range, and are today South Africa’s most profound white wines. We auction maiden vintages of Magnetic Makstok on the legendary ‘Skurfkop’ in the Citrusdal area, Huilkrans in the Paardeberg, La Colline in Franschhoek, and, extremely rare Radio Lazarus in Stellenbosch.
Magnetic North is a single origin Chenin Blanc wine. Since it’s maiden vintage in 2013, this wine has become a perennial star in our line-up. Every vintage, it manages to combine power and finesse in a way very few other Chenin vineyards from anywhere (not just the Cape) are able to do. From the legendary ‘Skurfberg’ area, South Africa’s ‘grand cru’ site for Chenin Blanc. These vineyards are in the Citrusdal Mountain ward, situtated in the mountain wilderness of the West Coast.
The vineyard lies a few degrees off true north from the cellar, roughly on magnetic North. The name implies distance and exploration. It implies a true course of action or movement. It implies an attractive force causing them to drive miles and miles for there vines. There is plenty of iron in the soil, which is a magnetic element, so that fit nicely too. In physical reality, Magnetic North is always moving, it never remains in the same place, so there is the added implication of a mysterious unattainable target.
Winemakers personal tasting note:
'This wine is still very much in its early youth, however the nose is already quite impressive, showing grapefruit, honeysuckle and pear, with a “rusty” savoury type of edge. The palate is tightly wound, positively bristling with very fine tannin and great acidity, all leading to a finish which continues on long after swallowing. This wine gets me a bit emotional sometimes, then I remember to harden up.' - Chris Alheit
Critics Ratings
'From old, ungrafted (’makstok’) Citrusdal Mountain chenin. 2015 more austere & spare than Lazarus, with waves of savoury acidity, stony grip subduing lemony minerality. No easy-sipper, nor even food partner yet; it needs/deserves time to settle, yield its depths.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2017, 4.5*
'(13.5% alcohol; from old, ungrafted vines): Restrained aromas of citrus fruits and flowers, plus a whiff of crushed stone. Offers noteworthy texture and sweetness in a still-reserved package. There's minerality here and a positive dryness to the wine's stone fruit and citrus flavors. The firm, spicy finish is not at all harsh. Quite strong on the back end. I suspect this will blossom in bottle.' - Stephan Tanzer, Vinous, 91/100 (May 2017)
'Chris Alheit had just driven from the vineyards in the namesake iron-rich vineyard when I tasted the 2015 Magnetic North Mountain Makstok. It has a subtle bouquet with Jasmine, Mirabelle, yellow plum and linseed aromas that gather momentum in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with light lemon peel and hazelnut notes. This is a minimalist Magnetic North, tensile and focused, again more about the texture than over flavors, stem ginger tingling on the saline aftertaste. It is one of those enigmatic wines that poses more questions and answers, but occasionally that's just what you seek from a wine.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 91/100 (Apr 2017)
'This wine is currently a baby, wanting more time to completely form and express itself with full potential. The nose is shy at first, needing some airing to coax out notes of singed fynbos, greengage and white melon rind. The palate offers a bit more fruit expression, as waves of citrus peel, Asian pear and dried apple skin are framed by a chalky minerality and just a hint of nutty stone-fruit pit. A sea-breeze salinity graces the driven, precise finish. Drink 2020–2028.' - Lauren Buzzeo, Wine Enthusiast, 93/100 (Apr 2018)
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