Natte Valleij

Alex Milner Builds a Strong Track Record With His Axle Old Vine Chenin Blanc – Tasting the New Natte Valleij 2024 Release… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The story of how the red wine focused winery of Natte Valleij started making the Axle Chenin Blanc is now famous. Quite simply, Alex Milner finally gave in and agreed to make a white wine for his wife after several requests. Still the only white in his range, this Old Vine WO Darling Chenin Blanc from the Swartland has created its own unique following with each annual release selling out rapidly.

Until this vintage, Alex used a basket-press to extract the juice for the grapes, accumulating up an impressive 80 hours of manual pressing in 2023, which he says “practically finished me off!”. So, he has now bought a pneumatic press and the 2024 vintage was done mechanically, which means that the wine was exposed to oxygen for less time and the 2024 is notably lighter in colour and fresher in character than the 2023 vintage.

Old Vine Certified Heritage Vineyard planted in 1985.

Natte Valleij Axle Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, WO Darling, 13% Abv.

The 2024 vintage is proving to be a good one for many of South Africa’s top white wines and this beautiful new Old Vine dryland bush vine Chenin Blanc release from Alex Milner at Natte Valleij is no exception. Aged for 9 months in barrel, the aromatics show a beautifully pure, crisp, crystalline delineation that’s tightly packed with yellow honeysuckle, pineapple chunks in syrup, white peaches and sweet granadilla before more subtle hints of tangerine, apricots and dried guava develop. The deep Granitic soils give the palate an incredible clarity, purity and wound spring tension with the pineapple and passion fruit layers gently buffered by stony mineral phenolics and bright, mouthwatering, tangy acids. The cool 13% alcohol is simply the cherry on the cake giving the wine a fresh, suave, sophisticated elegance. Pure class. Drink now to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Natte Valleij wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Alex Milner from Natte Valleij Releases His Sensational New Axle Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

‘Axle’ is an anagram of Alex and was made at the request of Alex Milner’s wife, who disparaged their ‘light-reds-only’ policy and demanded a white wine option of similar quality and style… and thus the Axle Chenin Blanc was born.

The Axle Chenin Blanc is made by Alex Milner of Natte Valleij winery from grapes sourced from a dryland grown old bush vine certified Darling heritage block planted in 1985 on decomposed granite soils. Made in a very minimalist, low intervention manner without losing any of its fine wine integrity, this wine represents a classy textural style of serious (and seriously delicious) Chenin Blanc.

Old Vine Certified Heritage vineyard from 1985.

The grapes were basket pressed and allowed to settle for 24 hours, then racked into old 225 litre oak barrels with careful addition of fine lees sediment to each barrel. After a natural fermentation, the wine received regular bâtonnage until late May. Aged in barrel over winter, the wine was bottled in the Spring after 9 months.

Tasting the Axle Chenin Blanc in the UK with Alex Milner in May 2023.

Natte Valleij Axle Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Darling, 13% Abv.

In the glass, this wine shimmers with a translucent golden yellow straw intensity, revealing rich exotic aromatics of incense, potpourri, grapefruit marmalade, yellow peach, dried apricots and attractive hints of stem ginger. The addition of the fine lees really adds another dimension of texture and complexity to the wine, lending an almost Sauternes-like breadth and opulence to the nose. The palate is equally plush, glycerol and broad but with a majestic coolness and creamy harmony that allows delicate notes of tangy apricot, peach and dried guava to linger on the long, intense dry granitic finish. This is another magnificent creation from this regal old vine Darling Chenin Blanc vineyard and undoubtedly a wine that is going to woo its already sizeable cult following. Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Natte Valleij wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Museum Wines. The Axel Chenin Blanc is available retail from Vincognito.co.uk at circa £20.95 per bottle.

A New Block Buster Single Vineyard Release – Part 2: Tasting the Old Vine Darling 2021 Cinsault from Alex Milner of Natte Valleij…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

“These old bush vines must come from the most isolated and lonely vineyard we bring into our cellar” winemaker Alex Milner quips. Planted on a lonely hill surrounded by wheat fields, and too many gates to remember, this vineyard stands very alone. Planted in 1978 on Malmesbury formation soils, with some influence of decomposed granite, it faces South Southwest and experiences the important cooling summer wind of the afternoon South Wester blowing in off the Atlantic, only 16km away. It is this uniqueness that allows Natte Valleij to offer something of exceptional quality and interest. This Cinsault was matured for 11 months in a 2500 litre old oak foudre to maintain the poise and reflection of this old vineyard’s terroir.

I recently caught up with Alex Milner in March at his cellar during harvest and then again in early May in London to taste through all his new releases. But two of his wines specifically left a very big impression on me, namely his single vineyard old vine Cinsault reds from Stellenbosch and Darling, that are made in circa 2,000 bottle quantities.

Pressing the 2023 Darling Old Vine Cinsault in March.

Natte Valleij Darling Old Vine Cinsault 2021, WO, 12% Abv.

This Darling Old Vine 2021 Cinsault is really something to behold. If ever there was a wine that proved that Cinsault could be world-class, then this is it. In the glass, the wine shows an opaque red plum colour and has a hedonistically high-toned perfumed aromatics of freshly picked rose petals and sweet lilacs before a complex melange of crunchy red orchard fruits seduces the senses. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant, the soft fleshy palate reveals potent notes red cherry, raspberry and strawberry pastille fruits before the classic Darling hallmark Turkish delight nuances come to the fore. Delicately mineral with a succulent intensity and tangy sweet and sour acidity, this 2021 Darling Cinsault is definitely ‘hall of fame’ quality with focus, depth and precision. Drink on release to enjoy its rose petal floral freshness or cellar for 6 to 8+ years to allow the old vine fruit to show its true regal potential. They don’t come much better than this!

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Natte Valleij wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines and the single vineyard Cinsault reds retail for circa £27pb.

http://www.museumwines.co.uk

A Block Buster Single Vineyard Old Vine Stellenbosch 2021 Cinsault Released by Alex Milner of Natte Valleij…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Natte Valleij single vineyard labels of Alex Milner use the dashing strap line ‘An Exploration of Cape Cinsault’ … and I can tell you that this incredible 2021 vintage Stellenbosch Cinsault made from 49-year-old dryland bush vines grown on deep decomposed granite soils, takes you on one hell of journey.

Affectionately called ‘the ballerina’ in the cellar because of its bright ethereal energy and gracefulness, the wine was matured for 11 months in concrete egg to maintain the vineyards essential perfumed purity and mineral poise, two hallmarks of this granitic vineyard lying in the shadows of the Helderberg Mountain.

I recently caught up with Alex Milner in March at his cellar during harvest and then again in early May in London to taste through all his new releases. But two of his wines specifically left a very big impression on me, namely his single vineyard old vine Cinsault reds from Stellenbosch and Darling, that are made in circa 2,000 bottle quantities.

Natte Valleij Stellenbosch Old Vine Cinsault 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 11.5% Abv.

A translucent red cherry ruby in colour, the aromatics on this wine are astonishingly pretty sharing the tantalisingly perfumed opulence and lift that you would find on a young classical Grand Cru Burgundy tasted from barrel. The fragrant notes of violets, cherry blossom and pressed rose petals slowly melt into waves of red cherry, cranberry and wild strawberry fruits with that ever present granitic mineral vein lending further complexity. The texture in the mouth is enchanting, resembling liquid silk and the intense red berry fruits are as pure as driven snow. This is an impressive single vineyard wine built around purity and precision, finesse and freshness, and in 2021, Alex Milner has created a proverbial liquid masterpiece. Drink this on release and over the next 10 to 12+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Natte Valleij wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines and the single vineyard Cinsault reds retail for circa £27pb. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Natte Valleij Release a Nervy New 2021 Old Vine Chenin Blanc with Real Character…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

The Axle Chenin Blanc is made by Alex Milner of Natte Valleij winery from grapes sourced from a dryland old bush vine certified Darling heritage block planted in 1985 on decomposed granite soils. Made in a very minimalist, low intervention manner without losing any of its fine wine integrity, this wine is a classy textural style of Chenin Blanc undoubtedly best enjoying with food.

The grapes were basket pressed and allowed to settle for 24 hours, then racked into old 225 litre oak barrels with careful addition of fine lees sediment to each barrel. After natural fermentation the wine received regular batonnage until late May. Aged in barrel over winter, the wine was bottled in the Spring after 9 months.

Natte Valleij Axle Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Darling, 12.5% Abv.

2.8 g/l RS | 5.5 g/l TA | 3.75 pH

This delicious expression comes across as quite a rustic, natural leaning artisanal Chenin Blanc with aromatics of pear, pineapple pastille, sea breeze, sweet yellow orchard fruits, dried herbs and stony granitic minerality. The palate shows tension and frame with pithy phenolic grip, tangy layers of quince, root ginger, white pear, yellow apple and a subtle sweet – sour acidity that lends the wine such a delicious vibrant energy and intensity. Wonderfully characterful old vine Chenin Blanc from certified heritage vineyards. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5 years.

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