Owner Jose Conde and the Stark Conde Winery often describe themselves first and foremost as a premium Cabernet Sauvignon producer. Why wouldn’t you when you have some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards and terroir in the Cape winelands? But there are other strings in Stark Conde’s bow, producing some outstanding white wines from single cultivars as well as a field blend.
As for the vintage, South African winegrowers showed characteristic pluck in the face of difficult 2023 harvest challenges. Despite a relatively wet season capped by disruptive late-harvest rains which affected some red late ripening cultivars, the vintage was generally hailed by respected winemakers and viticulturists for its quality, in particular for whites, which show intensity, freshness, concentration, and purity of varietal character. Two new whites are about to hit the UK market, and both are absolute stunners.
Stark Conde Monkstone Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 13.5% Abv.
The wines from the 2023 vintage continue to surprise with their exceptional quality and concentration, and this impressively complex Chenin Blanc from Stark Conde is no exception. The aromatics are intricate and wonderfully expressive, packed with hints of white peach, green honeydew melon, Granny Smith apples and delicate sweet citrus notes over subtle savoury fresh fennel root and dried herb nuances. The palate is particularly mouthwatering and tangy, bright acids well balanced by the vibrant white peach and yellow apple pastille fruit concentration. A wine that always spends almost a year on its fine lees, the palate showing the resulting textural depth and breadth, finishing with great intensity, energy and a tangy fruit persistence. Another masterclass in serious Chenin Blanc from the Jonkershoek Valley’s most revered winery. Drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Stark Conde Field Blend White 2023, WO Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.
A perennial favourite in the Stark Conde white range, this impressive 2023 is a blend of 42% Roussanne, 30% Chenin Blanc, 20% Verdelho, and 8% Viognier. Fermented in neutral oak, the aromatics are stunningly pure and precise, boasting notes of dry summer hay, crunchy white pears, green apple, pithy white citrus, and complexing stony granitic mineral notes. On the palate the wine is strikingly fresh and intense, deliciously mouthwatering displaying a notable concentration of white peach and green pear fruits, with a beautifully crystalline purity, perfectly integrated tangy acids and a long, juicy finish. As with many field blend wines, the whole is simply greater than the sum of its parts, with each component marrying seamlessly to create a truly majestic, organically certified white blend. This is good to go on release but will certainly reward 3 to 5+ years of additional ageing in bottle.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Stark Conde wines are imported into the UK exclusively by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
