“Rarefied power, compelling complexity and shy elegance.” - Tamlyn Currin

“This is superb.” - Neal Martin

“A name to watch.” - Tim Atkin MW

When we tasted the first vintage of this Chenin Blanc, we didn’t realise that what we were tasting was potential. It was good, very good, but with the release of the 2021 vintage we’re no longer tasting potential, we are tasting the realisation of a fantastic project and I have no hesitation in stating that this is one of the finest Chenin Blancs ever to emerge from South Africa.

Brookdale may be a new kid on the block, but they have really hit the ground running. The wily Duncan Savage made the first 2 vintages, but Kiara Scott, a graduate of the Cape Winemakers’ Guild Protegé Programme, is now firmly in the driving seat and the quality just keeps getting better and better. The 2021 is precision-tooled, with sleek contours and discreetly concentrated fruit framed by the most delicious accents of nutty, toasty oak. In that respect it has echoes of white Burgundy, animated as it is by a granitic minerality and zippy acidity, which feels more like internal ‘energy’ than simply low PH, yet its overall architecture is defiantly ‘old vine’ Cape Chenin, broadening on the palate to encompass orange orchard fruits, white pear and salted lime, before tapering slowly to a fine, focused finish. 13% alc. Certified Heritage Vineyards (South Africa's old-vine certification). Drink now-2030.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com: “After I tasted this wine it was left, by mistake, open, in a corner of our dining room, for three days. When I discovered it, slightly horrified at the carelessness of my ways, I retasted it (at room temperature, I didn't put it back in the fridge). The remarkable thing was that this abandoned, forgotten, warmish white wine was quite possibly even more beautiful than it had been when I first tasted it. Every note was more precise, amplified. It was like tasting it in high definition. It was as if someone had handed me a microscope and focused it to an intensity that was so pixelated it was almost shocking. My original tasting note said: Lemon-gold colour. A weight, substance and helical depth of flavours that spiral slowly, sensuously, through the vertical core of the wine. But the acidity runs linear: focused, racy, diamond-cut elliptical outlines. Pickled quince, smoked grapefruit peel, golden-brown shortcrust pie crust, salted lemons, tiny melted droplets of frangipani-scented wax, nutty brown butter stirred through yellow lentils. A wine that has a lunar glow with a crystalline coolness. Here is rarefied power, compelling complexity and shy elegance. (TC). Drink now-2031.” 17.5 points

Tim Atkin MW: “Brookdale is a name to watch in Paarl. This old-vine Chenin Blanc uses raw material from a 1985 block on decomposed granite. The oak is very nuanced here, leaving lots of space for the pasty, honey, pear and citrus flavours to express themselves on the palate. Drink now-2028” 93 points

Vinous: “It has quite an intense bouquet with lemon thyme and orange pith, blossoming in the glass, very well-defined and pure. The palate is very well balanced, with an irresistible entry and fine delineation. It is taut, focused, and slightly tangy, with hints of marmalade, quince and pithy on the finish. This is superb. Drink now-2035.“ 93 points

Customer reviews:

”We are already one bottle into the Brookdale, delicious, I will definitely be back for more in the future.” - Mr. F. W.

“One of the top 2 whites I’ve had this year.” - Mr O. B.