Since Duncan Savage left Cape Point Vineyards, he has been fully absorbed and focused on taking his Savage brand to the next level and bedding Down his new urban winery in Salt River, Cape Town. But as I discovered when I visited him recently, he does consult to one client, Englishman Tim Rudd at his beautiful Brookdale Winery in Paarl.

Named after the hamlet in Derbyshire where Tim originates from, Brookdale is a fabulous winery planted with 20+ year old Chenin Blanc as well as other Chenin Blanc blocks that are almost 35 years old.

At first I thought Duncan made the acquaintance by buying fruit from Tim, but Duncan was quick to point out that this was not the case and that he just simply discovered that he really clicked with Tim and his ambitious vision to make Brookdale one of South Africa’s top quality focused wine labels… and so the collaboration started.

Owner Tim Rudd and consultant winemaker Duncan Savage.

Old Vine Chenin Blanc almost 35 years old.

It’s all still very early days with few people having even tasted the finished 2017 wines let alone the new barrel samples from 2018. But I believe Neal Martin did manage to taste the 2017s on a recent trip and scored the wines very positively. Much of the day to day work at the winery still involves the ongoing rejuvenation of all current vineyards, many of which were badly neglected over the years before Tim bought the estate, but also now includes a massive replanting programme.

Some of the new plantings of Grenache Noir hidden in the cover crop.

As usual, Duncan is spinning his own kind of winemaking magic with some very fine fruit and with all the ongoing investment being poured into the winery and vineyards, this is definitely a hot name to watch.

Brookdale Block 2 Chenin Blanc 2018, 13.5 Abv.

From a 25 year old block of Chenin Blanc, took 6 months to ferment in 500 litre barrels with full malolactic in barrel. Due to be bottled end Jan / early Feb 2019. Classic Paarl Chenin aromatics of white peach, pineapple pastille, orange citrus and dusty notes of granite and fynbos spice. Palate full and bold, broad textured coating the palate with layers of green apple, white peach, pineapple, finishing with a subtle restrained, piquant mineral gravel note. The wine is deceptively classical with more reserved phenolics than the luscious, opulent nose suggests. A work in progress but already showing excellent pedigree and potential.

(Wine Safari Score: 90-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Brookdale Block 10.1 Chenin Blanc 2018, 13.5 Abv.

From a block planted in 1985, the aromatics show more pronounced notes of vanilla and oak spice that embraces white citrus, white peach, green apple, thatch, fynbos and peach tea nuances. Palate shows wonderful intensity and tension, focus and textural tautness that is more mineral laden, gravelly and restrained. Quite a grown up expression of old vine Chenin Blanc.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Brookdale 3 Block Blend Chenin Blanc 2018, 13.5 Abv.

With various components of block 2, block 5 and block 10.1 blended together, the aromatics come together in a more restrained, subtle melange of gravelly pineapple pastille, orange citrus, wet thatch and fynbos spice. In converse to the single block expressions in isolation, this wine shows more opulence and sweet flesh on the entry and fine palate texture and reach. Attractive oak spice and peach tea complexity but also lovely elegance and harmony on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Brookdale Chenin Blanc 2017, 13.5 Abv.

Blend of all the blocks, only 1000 bottles produced from 50% new oak (1 x new 500 litre and 1 x 10 year old 500 litre barrel). No malolactic, the ferment was much quicker than 2018 lasting 4 weeks. The nose shows dusty, earthy, savoury leesy notes of buttered warm baguette, vanilla spice and delicious yellow orchard fruits. Palate is already very expressive with explosive concentration of pineapple pastille, yellow peach, green apple and pithy citrus peel. The acids are bright and vibrant but finely balanced by a generous fleshy glycerol texture that is succinctly punctuated on the finish. An impressive debut.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Retasted in bottle on 15th May 2019:

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)