David & Nadia Aristargos 2020

Drink now or cellar for up to 6 years. Serve chilled.

David and Nadia met while studying, falling in love with both winemaking and each other. It wasn’t long before they quit their day jobs to start their very own winery in Swartland, leasing a farm in Paardebosch from owners who weren’t interested in winemaking. They now supply half of their grape needs from the vineyards here and partner with respected local growers for the remainder.

The couple’s main focus is on old vine Chenin Blanc which is used both in single varietal bottlings and in blends like their Aristargos. This is an elegant composition of Chenin, Viognier, Roussanne, Semillon and Clairette Blanc sourced from vines planted between 1960 and 2013. To create a rich, textured blend with plenty of complexity the fruit is whole-bunch pressed and then fermented using wild yeasts and left to mature in oak barrels for 11 months before bottling.

The deep yellow hue in the glass is complemented by intense notes of zingy citrus zest, peaches, apricots, and white blossom. The first sip reveals a robust ful body, a rich texture, and plenty of ripe stone fruit flavours which linger on the tongue. The depth and complexity makes this a great wine to cellar for a few more years, although its also ideal to enjoy now alongside roast chicken or full-flavoured grilled fish dishes.