2022 Testalonga Baby Bandito Stay Brave

WINEMAKER: Craig & Carla Hawkins
REGION: Swartland, SA
VARIETAL: Chenin Blanc
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic

100% Chenin Blanc (Dry - 10 days Skin Contact) - “Planted in 1981, this is a 1.5ha block, which was abandoned in 2014, we approached the farmer and asked if we could try and revive it. The vineyard gives a very specific, salty character to the wines, maybe not as intense as those from the heart of the Paardeberg but there is a definite salinity, which we love.” A very pretty nose with top notes of flowers, herbs, ginger and other spice before lemon and orange. The palate displays lovely fruit expression to go with bright acidity and just a touch of phenolic grip – light and energetic. Just irresistible.

During the apartheid, the South African wine industry was completely dominated by one organization, which controlled everything from production to price. Modern day renegades, Craig & Carla Hawkins, established Testalonga in 2008 and shook the industry to its core. Settling in Swartland, they started with two barrels of macerated chenin - the first 'orange' wine made in South Africa. The deeply conservative authorities often rejected their wines for export for not exhibiting 'typicity' of South African wine.