Brookdale Estate has introduced four new vintages, headlined by the maiden release of its much-anticipated Twenty Field Blend – a vibrant expression that pays homage to the almost-forgotten art of field blend winemaking. This distinctive wine was crafted from 20 red varietals, interplanted as bush vines on the estate, in addition to the Sixteen Field Blend of 16 white varietals, which was first released in 2022.
Exciting new vintage releases are the 2024 Sixteen Field Blend and the 2024 Bradbourne White Blend, alongside the 2023 release of the estate’s flagship Brookdale Old Vine Chenin Blanc. Sourced from a single block of certified Old Vine Chenin Blanc planted around 40 years ago, this wine once again showcases the complexity and balance for which Paarl’s terroir is renowned.
From the outset, Brookdale Estate’s vision has been to produce fine wines with character, often using varietals that are uncommon in South Africa. Since its first vintage in 2017, the estate has earned international acclaim, reinforcing its reputation for crafting elegant, distinctive wines.
True to its guiding philosophy of curiosity and exploration, Brookdale continues to innovate and push boundaries with each passing vintage. This spirit is embodied by its dynamic new winemaking team: winemaker Xander Sadie and assistant winemaker Shanice du Preez, who recently completed their first harvest at Brookdale under the mentorship of celebrated consultant winemaker Duncan Savage and estate proprietor Tim Rudd.
Brookdale Twenty Field Blend 2024
An energetic young wine, coiled to continue developing for years to come. The twenty red varietals were inter-planted as bush vines and the grapes were picked at two different stages due to the variability of the grapes. After fermentation, the wine spent seven days on skins before being basket pressed into a concrete egg and 500L French Oak barrels, 15% being new wood. The wine stayed in barrel for 12 months and was then blended and spent four months in bottle before release.
Tasting notes describe it as "garrigue, lavender flowers and stemmy spice unfold, petal-like, each scent demanding its moment. Salted red plum, blueberry, mulberry emerge along a thrill of white pepper. Blood orange freshness opens the palate, ushering in red-fruited exuberance of cherries, strawberries, berries; an undertow of earthy pomegranate trailing to a tangy, saline finish."
Brookdale Sixteen Field Blend 2024
Sixteen white varietals were inter-planted as bush vines on decomposed shale and granite and the grapes were picked at four different stages due to the ripening variation of the varieties. 40% of the wine was fermented and aged in concrete egg and 60% in clay amphora for 12 months on lees prior to bottling and spent four months in bottle before release.
"Pressed French linen on the line, meadow blossoms, light and lovely. Visions of flower crowns, of fresh grass trampled underfoot, of white strawberries, cranberries. It’s a midsummer of a wine. Evocative tug of toast, almonds and flint dances in. On the palate a creamy acid backbone sketches around luminous fruit, ascending into white-pear succulence and mouth-watering freshness. Defined by a weightless complexity, the fruit is ethereal, diaphanous, yet offers depth and dimension, and carries into a long, white-chalk finish."
Brookdale Bradbourne White Blend 2024
A blend of 45% Grenache Blanc; 23% Roussanne; and 16% each of Piquepoul Blanc and Marsanne, picked at different stages during harvest. The wine was barrel fermented and aged in old 225L and 500L French oak barrels. A 30% portion of the Grenache was whole-bunch fermented and spent 14 days on stems for added texture and complexity. All components went through 100% malolactic fermentation and the wines were aged for 12 months in barrel prior to blending and bottling, followed by four months in bottle before release.
The wine presents "lifted florals of jasmine, frangipani – the scent of white blooms on a summer night; waxy, heady. The evolving aromatic complexity undresses into peaches and cream, honeyed peach and quince, the softness of straw weaves through, refreshed with crushed lime-leaf brightness. Layered and lithe, the palate has real presence; vivid white grapefruit, white citrus purls around a deep core of stone fruit, the acidity, a silver-toned electricity, balancing the concentration of fruit. Lime washes in again at the finish, in its wake a faint grip of pithy fruit-tannin, which extends the length and refreshes the palate."
Brookdale Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023
Old Vine Chenin Blanc (1985), grown on decomposed shale and granite, combined with minimal winemaking has created Brookdale’s flagship wine. The grapes were hand-picked at eight different stages to achieve optimal ripeness and balance. Matured for 11 months in 500L French oak barrels, the wine was then aged on the lees for eleven months in 2000L Stockinger (Austrian Oak) foudres. Once bottled, the wine was left to mature for a further four months before release.
The wine has a "scent of gold; earthy, mineral yet charged with sun. Powerful, complex aromatics unwind; ripe citrus, fresh honey, orchard apples and pears, all pour forth with bay-leaf, lemon-buchu highlights. Underpinning this, roasted nuts and a line of cream. A concentrated yet fresh core of apple, pear and lime is wrapped in silky ribbons of golden citrus tapering nutty and honeyed to the edges. The long line of liquid minerality weaves right through for a stony, vibrant finish, echoing with citrus."