2024 Craven - Chenin Blanc Caribib Vineyard (750ml)

Craven Wines began with a chance meeting between Mick and Jeanine Craven while both were working a Sonoma harvest in 2007, an Aussie and a South African who bonded over a shared love of wine and eventually settled in Stellenbosch together in 2011. The Karibib Vineyard came into their hands toward the end of 2015, when Mick discovered the site up in the Polkadraai Hills, previously farmed for sweet wine production. The farmer, happy to see the block put toward a dry style instead, let the Cravens take it over, and a period of careful attention brought the vines back to a more natural state.

Planted in 1981 by Jozua Joubert on weathered granite at varying elevations in the Polkadraai Hills, the vineyard was originally trained on a single wire but has since grown out into what Mick calls a faux bush vine. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed into concrete, where the wine ferments naturally, completes malolactic fermentation on its own, and rests on the lees for about four months before its first racking, spending nine months in concrete overall.

The wine shows peach, apricot, and honeysuckle layered with beeswax, while the granite soils lend real grip and a distinct salty edge. The finish stays focused and textured, energetic rather than heavy. Pair it with grilled fish, roast pork, or fresh goat cheese.