Chris Alheit is one of South Africa’s preeminent chenin makers, a master of this protean variety, and Cartology – a seminal wine in the Cape’s modern-day wine story – is the wine that put him on the map, while he was busy mapping the greatest old chenin vineyards in South Africa…
Today’s release of the 2025 is a momentous one, marking the 15th vintage of this beautiful bush-vine chenin-semillon. To celebrate this milestone, we are excited to give members exclusive access in the UK to jeroboams, as well as bottles, of the new 2025. We are also shining a light on Cartology’s younger sibling today, Hereafter Here, the maiden vintage of which was 2020.
Order by midday, Tuesday 1st September
Celebrating old bush-vine sites of South Africa’s key heritage grapes, chenin blanc and semillon, which are all farmed without irrigation, the debut of Cartology helped to shift the South African wine industry’s perceptions about its old vineyards; and the Alheits played a key role in ensuring that growers were paid more for the incredible fruit their historic plots yielded.
The Alheit winemaking philosophy is underpinned by the drive to make ‘authentic wines which can’t be repeated in another place,’ says Chris. In practice this means wild fermentation in neutral vessels (cement eggs, old foudres, and old barrels), ‘nothing added, and nothing taken away… just the vineyard and a little bit of sulphur.’ Cartology is a wine of resonance and unrepeatability – its essence is that of the Cape – a magical combination of drinkability, complexity and ageing potential.
Hereafter Here – a proud ‘young vine wine’ since its inception – provides a home to the new vineyards that some of the Alheit’s favourite growers have been planting, vineyards which are not yet mature enough for Cartology. These are bush-vine vineyards which are being planted with a long-term view, to grow old and to yield thrilling old-vine wines in the decades to come – vineyards which the next generation of Alheits will in turn be able to nurture and work with, year after year.
While Hereafter Here may be a little in the shadow of Cartology, it has its own identity and is a serious wine in its own right. I have been impressed with this wine in a number of unexpected blind tastings and feel its ageing capacity warrants giving members the opportunity to buy in bond as a First Release, especially in the remarkable 2025 vintage.
