Botanica Mary Delany Collection Chenin Blanc, Citrusdal Mountain 2023 100ml

Botanica's main focus is on pinot noir and old-vine chenin, aiming to use minimally invasive winemaking techniques to produce wines that express their vineyards’ origins. Founded in 2008, it is run by Virginia (‘Ginny’) Povall, a New Yorker who still spends part of the year there, and a self-taught winemaker who began by making small batches at her home in America.

She quickly made an impressive impact on the South African wine scene: her very first vintage, 2009, was awarded five stars in the influential Platter's Guide 2011, an achievement that she went on to repeat with the 2011 and 2012 vintages in the 2013 and 2014 editions respectively, and many more stars have followed since.

Ginny is based on a flower farm in Devon Valley, just 10 minutes from central Stellenbosch, with stunning views from the holiday properties she has created there.

The Mary Delaney chenin comes from much further north in the Western Cape and is classified as a wine of the Citrusdal Mountain region. The grapes are sourced from a Clanwilliam vineyard of around 50 years of age, planted on Table Mountain sandstone at 800 metres above sea level, roughly 25 miles from the sea. It is part vinified in stainless steel and part fermented and aged in large French oak barrels.