Chenin blanc Under a Chenin Sky 2024 Aurelien Petit

The Chenin Blanc Under a Chenin Sky 2024 from Aurélien Petit is one of the most fascinating bottles Les Clos Vivants has referenced, made by a French vigneron who found his true home thousands of kilometres from his native Burgundy in the Swartland. Yellow fruit and a delicate honeyed note define the nose. The palate is full-bodied, generous, perfectly aromatic, built on yellow fruits with an almost exotic quality that emerges as it warms, enveloped by a clean, mineral edge driven by granite, though a subtle smokiness recalls certain silex terroirs. More approachable and less austere than Aurélien's other Chenin, both merit discovery.

Terroir and vines

Under a Chenin Sky comes from two parcels of old vines farmed organically on the granitic slopes of Paardeberg in the heart of Swartland. Soils rich in silica and quartz give the wine a tense, crystalline character, vivid verticality and laser-like freshness. The granite, poor and draining by nature, signs a crystalline expression of Chenin here. Swartland, this semi-arid region north of Cape Town battered by hot winds and shaped by extreme conditions, is now recognised as one of the most compelling and authentic terroirs in global viticulture, particularly for old Chenin Blanc vines on schist and granite. Whole-bunch pressing is followed by gentle settling before barrel ageing in four French oak vessels. 50 per cent ages on fermentary lees for 11 months without stirring to preserve precision and aromatic clarity. The remaining 50 per cent is racked in spring, then returned to barrel for six additional months, gaining in liveliness and brilliance. Only 1,400 bottles produced.

Tasting profile

Vibrant and taut, this Chenin seduces with its citrus energy and fine spice nuances, lifted by floral and honeyed aromatics. Its mineral spine and elegant straightness reflect the full granitic tension of Paardeberg, balancing energy, refinement and depth. If I had to find a French equivalent, this sits somewhere between a Loire Vouvray and a silex-terroir Sancerre, with Chenin's structure. On the palate, freshness is striking for a Swartland wine, with a tension and verticality that defies expectations and recalls the rigour of great Loire whites. The finish is long, saline and mineral, carried by that granitic edge which is the absolute signature of Paardeberg.

The vigneron

Having refined his craft across the globe, from Burgundy to the Jura, the Rhône valley to Argentina and Portugal to New Zealand, Aurélien Petit honed his vision of wine and found his home in Swartland. This region, renowned for old vines, schist and granite, shaped by extreme conditions, suits his outsider temperament perfectly. Working exclusively with vignerons with whom he develops close working relationships and genuine friendships, Aurélien vinifies small quantities from old vines. He adopts an admirably minimalist approach in the cellar, choosing indigenous yeasts, minimal inputs, gentle pressing and six months' ageing. His wines offer above all freshness, energy and pure expression of place and terroir, making Aurélien Petit an ambassador for Swartland's wines.

Food pairing

This Chenin Blanc pairs beautifully with fine oysters and citrus mignonette, grilled langoustines with tarragon butter, wild bass tartare with fresh herbs, lemon gravlax, sole meunière or asparagus risotto with Parmesan. It finds harmony too with fresh goat's cheese or truffle Brillat-Savarin. Served between 10 and 12°C, it reveals all the granitic tension, mineral freshness and pure energy of Swartland Chenin Blanc as made nowhere else.