Alheit Vineyards
About Alheit Vineyards
Alheit Vineyards is most uncommon for a new producer to achieve the desirable epithet of “cult” status so quickly, but Chris and Suzaan Alheit’s first vintage of Cartology brought an almost hysterical level of interest from the fine wine world - not a sphere prone to hyperbole!
Neal Martin (Vinous) was, and continues to be, just about as ardent an advocate for the Western Cape winery as one could imagine:
“So, you want a headline "a snappy eye-catching shelf-talker"? Here’s one. “Chris and Suzaan Alheit have made South Africa’s greatest debut Chenin Blanc.” Having chanced upon his wine in Cape Town, I met the very jet-lagged winemaker who had just landed at Heathrow. Despite his understandable lethargy, his unbridled passion came through, a man determined to seek out the best sites for Chenin Blanc and create a world-class wine. Having cut his teeth in the Mosel, Saint Emilion (at Chateau Angelus) and Napa Valley, Chris is obviously not hidebound by tradition, abiding by his own beliefs: low yields, old vines (though not necessarily the oldest), minimal use of sulphur and ageing in used oak between 4 and 12 years. He told me of his plans to seek out single vineyard sites and create a Burgundy-like portfolio of “Village” and “Premier Crus.” I have no doubt that he will succeed, although my mind boggles if this is the ethereal quality of his “Village Cru” - Neal Martin (Vinous)
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Coastal Region | 1 | - | $723.00 | |||||
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Coastal Region | 1 | - | $508.00 | |||||
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Western Cape | 1 | 93 (WA) | $121.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)The 2013 Cartology Bush Vines is a blend of 88% Chenin Blanc and 12% Semillon. The bouquet is very well-defined with great clarity, very reminiscent of the 2011, opening up with aeration to reveal subtle scents of lemon curd, apricot, honeysuckle and Mirabelle. The palate is well-balanced, harmonious in the mouth, everything understated at first, but it builds nicely toward a taut, saline finish. This seems more aligned to the 2012 than the 2011 and it deserves at least one or two years in bottle. Succinct is the word that comes to mind - and that is not an easy attribute to instill into a wine. |
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Western Cape | 1 | 94 (VN) | $119.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2014 Cartology has a different bouquet compared to the 2012 and 2013: more complexity here with linden, orange zest, yellow flowers and a touch of chalk dust (perhaps with just a touch of botrytis.) The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, hints of mango and yellow plum, lemon curd, ginger and a touch of spice on the finish. This is more forward than the 2012 and 2013, a subtle nuttiness emerging with time. Tasted at the Alheit seminar with Chris Alheit in London. |
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Western Cape | 1 | 93 (VN) | $289.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)The 2018 Cartology, a blend of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Sémillon this year, is whole-cluster-pressed with no SO2 addition, and matured in used oak. It has a well defined, pure bouquet of dried honey, yellow flower, honeysuckle and lanolin aromas that instantly seduce the senses. The palate is beautifully balanced with a slightly oily-textured opening, the intensity deftly counterbalanced by the fine bead of acidity, and a discreet spiciness toward the finish. This is very harmonious and persistent, an effortless Cartology that should age with style. Superb. |
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Western Cape | 3 | 95 (VN) | $242.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)The 2020 Cartology is blended with 7% Semillon and is essentially an amalgam of Alheit's vineyards, whole bunch pressed and kept on the lees for 12 months. It has a very different nose compared to the "Hereafter Here": more minerality, touches of white tea and broom filtering through the citrus fruit. The palate is very harmonious, spicy and focused, gently building in the mouth towards that finish with a dab of saffron and stem ginger. Wonderful persistence and just a wine that grabs you, demands attention. This is simply outstanding. |
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Western Cape | 17 | 96 (TA) | $197.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (96)This pioneering white blend, paying tribute to the diversity and history of the Cape, is a cuvée of Chenin Blanc and 6% Semillon in 2023, using components from the Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Malmesbury, the Paardeberg, Bottelary, False Bay and (for the first time) Tygerberg. Mineral, sappy, spicy and effortlessly focused like a rifle site, it has layers of oatmeal, citrus and wet stones and a savoury finish. |
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Cape South Coast | 1 | 94 (VN) | $228.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2019 Hemelrand Vine Garden was picked early in the morning and fermented over two months (nine for the Roussanne). It has a very well-defined bouquet of red apple, fresh pear, yellow flower and strawberry scents, plus hints of chamomile in the background. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity and wonderful _mineralité_ on the finish; there’s something Alsace-like about this cuvée. One of Alheit’s more cerebral wines of the vintage. |
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Cape South Coast | 1 | 96 (VN) | $268.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)The 2021 Hemelrand Vine Garden is one of Chris Alheit's biggest successes and encapsulates everything great about his wine. Initially quite neutral, it reveals wondrous sea spray, honeysuckle, Provençal herbs and hints of powdered chalk on the nose. The palate has exquisite balance, very cohesive and intense, yet the acidity keeps this so fresh with hints of yellow plum, frangipane and quince towards the extended finish. You just want to go back for another sip (and I bet you will). |
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Western Cape | 1 | 94 (TA) | $133.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)Hereafter Here is what Chris Alheit calls a "young vineyard wine" although it contains older material from the Paardeberg and Tygerberg too. Blended with a splash of Semillon from Franschhoek, it's a total bargain in the range, with a nice interplay of lees, beeswax and granite-derived structure and a touch of flinty reduction. |
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Olifants River | 1 | 99 (TA) | $138.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (99)The Van Lill family's vineyards on Citrusdal Mountain are one of the Cape's Grand Cru sites, right up there with the greatest in the world. Chris Alheit's stunning Chenin Blanc, made with "some of the best grapes I've ever seen", hails from blocks ten and 13 and is breathtakingly intense. Pear, passion fruit, rock salt and fynbos flavours are framed by subtle oak and mouth-watering minerality. A great winemaker's interpretation of a sublime terroir. 2023-35 |
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