Young Guns and New Wave Producers
Timed Online Auction, 17 - 27 November 2023
Young Gun and New Wave Producers
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About this Item
Leeuwenkuil, or ‘Lion’s Lair’, was given its name as a tribute to the ferocious Cape Lion that roamed the farmlands hunting unsuspecting cattle. Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards takes pride in harnessing their strong family bond along with their shared passion for winemaking to create intriguing and memorable wines from the Swartland’s unique terroir. Willie and Emma Dreyer are the proud owners. A hardworking and passionate farmer, Willie has a particularly hands-on approach to wine farming and studiously tends to his land from dusk until dawn. He inherited half of the farm, which back then comprised of 45 hectares of vineyards, and over the past 30 years, he and his family have built Leeuwenkuil into what it is today – 1,250 hectares of thriving vineyards.
Producer's Tasting Notes: 'Leeuwenkuil’s Heritage Chenin Blanc is made in a pre-modern, natural style, similar to the top end Vouvray Chenins. We joined forces with one of the best from the homeland of Chenin and got Vincent Careme involved to help and guide each vintage into a very fine wine. The process is very simple: whole bunch pressing, no sulphur on the juice, natural yeast fermentation and a very limited use of new oak. Aged for 14 months before filling.
The 2014 vintage offers an aroma profile layered with white citrus blossom, classic stone fruit and hints of ginger. The palate is full and richly textured with a focussed acidity for exceptional balance. The low-yielding old bush-vines offer depth, length and complexity: fruit concentration, minerality, and amazing freshness even after 9 years of cellaring.'
Critics Ratings
‘Made with the help of Frenchman Vincent Carême from Vouvray, this is sourced from old vineyards in the Swartland. Whole bunch pressed and fermented fully dry, it’s a remarkable wine: leesy, complex and chiselled. Stony minerality, tarte tatin flavours and very subtle oak all make their contribution here. 2017-22’ - Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2017, 94/100
‘This is a broad, leesy, complex and tight knit wine. Serious and very grown up, textural, cerebral even. It is honeyed , but with lots of minerality and structure and lovely grapefruit and lemony acidity.’ – Decanter.com, 94/100
‘Peach, subtle spice and some leesy character on the nose and palate. Possesses real grunt – intensely flavoured and relatively thick textured but all this offset by tangy acidity.’ – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 92/100 (Jan 2016)
‘2014 has richness, but its pleasing light fruitiness is subtle rather than notably intense or lingering. Spontaneous ferment, matured in older oak. Tight now, might grow with few years.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2017, 4*
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