Thistle & Weed 'Brandnetel' Chenin Blanc 2024

Indulgent, rich and moreish from superstar winemakers. This is new world Chenin Blanc, as good as I have had the pleasure of tasting. A beautiful nose of apricot, peach skin and cantaloup melon with a faint whiff of melted candle wax. The palate is rich and full with an intense pink grapefruit zing and sea salt snap. So vibrant, pure and energetic with an eternally lingering favour. I desperately want some tempura vegetables, goats cheese, and to be left alone to enjoy this wine and give it the attention it deserves. 

Brandnetel (Urtica dioica) - or stinging nettle, is steeped in dualities: both fierce and soft; painful and restorative; tenacious yet humble. This often-overlooked weed brings magic to fairytales, protection in folklore and vitality to soils.

Stephanie Wiid (formerly winemaker at Fairview) and Etienne Terblanche (consulting viticulturist for several top estates) only created Thistle & Weed in 2015 but it hasn't taken long for them to be considered one of the finest wine labels in South Africa.

They are especially well regarded for single-site Chenin Blancs and more recently have been making waves with avant-garde regional blends that comprise a feast of Iberian varieties.

Their attention to detail in the vineyard is extraordinary and you can taste every nuance of the intricate terroir through their wines, now being made in a new, fixed abode near Stellenbosch.

The beautiful labels depict weeds found amongst the vines in the Cape; Etienne and Stephanie draw parallels between thistles and weeds and the uncompromising tenacity and survival skills of grapevines, hence their name and the colloquial Afrikaans terms given to their various wines.