Young Guns

Online-Only Auction, 17 - 28 November 2022

Young Guns | For the classicists and the geeks alike, an incredible collection
About the Session

What is a Young Gun?

A talented winemaker who pushes the boundaries, breaks the rules and creates cutting-edge wines with personality and energy. Young Guns either work, or have worked for notable estates, but also produce unique wines under their own labels. They are dynamic, working together in pushing the envelope and promoting brand SA. They are the winemakers who should be on your radar as they are making some of the most daring, innovative, and simply delicious wines in SA. They travel and taste extensively, drawing inspiration from the classics through to the more edgy, hip styles and techniques, from the profound and obscure wine regions of the world. And then they apply their own creative interpretations on home soil, often searching for unique vineyard sites, cultivars and old vines. The results are most often small in numbers and high in demand, selling out on release. They are the rising stars, the future icons and ultimately, tomorrow’s investment wines.


Sold for

ZAR 23 450
Lot 5
  • Alheit Vineyards; Nautical Dawn; 2017; 6 (1 x 6); 750ml


Lot Estimate
ZAR 8 000 - 12 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 23 450

About this Item

2017 Nautical Dawn
6 (1 x 6) 750ml

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.

Nautical Dawn is a single origin Chenin blanc wine. Since it’s maiden vintage in 2017 it has helped to showcase the raw talent of the False Bay coast of Stellenbosch - a vital part of the Cape Chenin story. The wine has quite an extreme nature and a strong personality. Even with early picking this vineyard delivers huge flavour with intense concentration and ripping natural acid.

Provenance

Producer

Critics Ratings

'Nautical Dawn is another new wine from Chris Alheit and, as its name suggests, hails from vineyards that are very close to False Bay. Planted in 1978 and 1988, the two sites are both on granite soils, and used to go into Cartology. Spry, refreshing and athletic, this is a taut, saline white with a hint of nectarine sweetness. 2019-26.'- Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2018, 94/100

'From 2 Stellenbosch maritime chenin vineyards 30 & 40 years old. Much floral, white peach charm in 2017; youthful approachability in its ripe-fruited succulence, length, but doesn’t lack steely backbone necessary for interesting development.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2019, 4.5* (94/100)

'Grapes from a 1978 Helderberg vineyard and a 1988 Polkadraai vineyard both relatively close to False Bay. An exotic breakfast punch nose – guava, pear and peach in particular. Lots of sweet, bouncy fruit on the palate but there’s also snappy acidity before a suitably dry finish. Dead sexy. Alcohol: 13.47%.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 95/100

'The 2017 Nautical Dawn comes from two vineyards on pure granite soils overlooking False Bay, fermented and matured in neutral old barrels. It has a very "come hither" bouquet of yellow fruit, lemon thyme and hints of lemon curd, all exceptionally well defined. The expressive palate features orange pith, white peach and guava, and the acidity is very well judged with just the right amount of salinity toward the finish. What a superb debut! '- Neal Martin, Vinous, 94/100 (Aug 2018)

'The 2017 Nautical Dawn Chenin Blanc is similar to the Fire by Night Chenin Blanc of the same range but is a touch less giving. The wine has Asian pear, beeswax and yuzu peel aromas with a kiss of minerality. It's a solid wine that is clean, correct and precise. The wine is medium-bodied and has a balanced acidity that brightens the mid-palate and lingers on the medium lingering finish. 275 cases were made.'- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 90/100 (Oct 2019)

View all Alheit Vineyards lots for sale in this auction