South Africa’s sole grand gold, which is the competition’s highest accolade, went to the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2024, a barrel-fermented and aged Chenin Blanc made from Old Vine Heritage Vineyards growing in Stellenbosch.
This year’s 32nd edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) was held in early June in Yinchuan, in the heart of the Ningxia wine region (China). Over three days, 7 165 wines from 49 countries were blind-tasted by 375 international experts from 56 nations. South Africa finished the event with the one Kleine Zalze grand gold and 15 gold medals.
RJ Botha, Kleine Zalze's winemaker, says the CMB Grand Gold is terrific recognition for Kleine Zalze's continued focus on Chenin Blanc and the relentless search for excellence from a variety that has always been an integral part of the winery's offering.
This focus includes sourcing Chenin Blanc grapes from Stellenbosch vineyards registered as Heritage Vineyards by South Africa's Old Vine Project, as well as further building on the vinification processes that have traditionally been employed for crafting these varietal wines.
"Wines made from Stellenbosch's old Chenin Blanc vineyards have proven themselves as offering something truly unique," says Botha. "Of the over 500ha of registered Old Vine Chenin Blanc in Stellenbosch, Kleine Zalze manages and uses 95ha of these, giving us access to fruit from these vineyards spread throughout the appellation's diverse terroir offering. This has undoubtedly helped Kleine Zalze up our game in terms of the Chenin Blanc offering, and I think the results of this year's CMB where we were the only South African winery to achieve a grand gold medal underscores this."
The grapes for Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2024 originate from selected bush vine vineyards in Stellenbosch planted on decomposed granite soils. At harvest, grapes were handpicked early in the morning and immediately crushed into holding tanks. Some 24 hours’ skin contact added extra structure to the juice, with a small portion of the fruit being pressed whole-bunch. Most of the wine was fermented and aged for seven months in old French oak barrels, with a 5% portion fermented and aged in concrete egg and terracotta amphora.
Botha says the CMB grand gold accolade is not only recognition for Kleine Zalze, but also for the South African wine industry’s ability to produce wines of quality and provenance from the Chenin Blanc variety.
“Over the past three decades, the South African wine industry has done a sterling job in making Chenin Blanc an industry focus, as well as - in the past few years - creating an awareness of the old Chenin Blanc vineyards that form an integral part of our wine legacy,” says Botha. “This truly is one of the unique stories of South African wine, and Kleine Zalze is honoured to see a part of our country’s wine heritage recognised on the world stage through of a top-quality white wine.”