Twenty one years ago, Craig and Anne Wessels purchased an undeveloped farm in the now-renowned Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Then, in 2005, as outsiders with no prior knowledge of growing or making wine, they took a giant leap of faith, rebelling against the status quo of ‘big’ wines in favor of tension and balance. With their focus on the appellation’s cool-climate terroir, the groundbreaking wines that followed placed Restless River at the forefront of a movement that, only later, would be referred to as the “new wave” of the South African wine renaissance. Only Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon are grown on the estate.
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Van Loggerenberg Kameraderie Chenin Blanc 2025
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Restless River Klein Hemel Pinot Noir 2024
R350.00
“We welcome the variations of each vintage into the winery, encouraging authenticity. The hallmarks of classicly styled wines, regardless of vintage, are elegance, purity of fruit, depth of flavours, minerality, energy, intensity without weight, finesse, and ageability. This is what we strive for.” – Craig Wessels, Winegrower.
Granite and Cederberg Shale soils, both with deep clay subsoils. The Cederberg Shale is an anomaly in the Hemel-en-Aarde, and this formation can only be found on a small, elevated portion of Restless River Vineyards, imparting a unique identity to the wines. Vineyards planted 2017 – 2020, with north, east, and west aspects on mid-slopes at 240m–330m elevation. Guyot trained.
Focus is on soil and vine health. Under-vine mulching, hand weeding, composts, and biochar. Alternating mixed cover crops, no-till planting, and summer mechanical mowing of weeds/grasses. Leaf and lateral shoot thinning around the bunch zone to maximize grape flavour and minimize disease pressure. Ducks and wasps are used for natural pest control.
Traditional. 10% whole bunch. Fermented in small, open-top oak fermenters, with spontaneous fermentations using wild yeasts only. A combination of gentle pump-overs and punch-downs ensures the extraction of only the finest tannins. Lightly basket-pressed to retain fruit purity and aged for 12 months in Burgundy 228L barrels, 25% new. Nine months of further aging in the bottle before release.
ANALYSIS: Alc 13.4% | RS 2.0 | TA 5.7 | pH 3.7
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| Producer | Restless River |
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