Kalmoesfontein Family White – 2023

The 2023 White Blend Kalmoesfontein is a field blend that spends one year in very old foudres plus ten months in concrete. There is a touch of reduction on the nose, with honeysuckle and jasmine scents and ample white fruit. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, waxy in texture, with a bright and edgy, saline finish that urges you back for more. One of the best whites that Adi Badenhorst has made. 2026 – 2040

#60 of Top 100 Wines of South Africa 2025 (11/12/25)

Lemon rind, beeswax, chamomile, pomelo and sliced melon on the nose of this creamy but bright white. It’s textured and waxy with a medium to full body and excellent freshness. Salty at the end. 33% chenin blanc and 28% grenache blanc, with smaller amounts of eight other white varieties. Drink now or hold.

The A. A. Badenhorst Family Wines 2023 Swartland Kalmoesfontein White Blend is built on a core of Chenin Blanc supported by Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Palomino, Viognier, Roussanne, Muscat d’Alexandrie and Verdelho, with additional small components that are not fully disclosed. Aged one year in old wooden vats, followed by a year in tank and made without sulfur additions, the wine moves in a distinctly savory direction. Salty on the finish and beautifully textured, it balances broad richness with sharp focus and precision. There is a tactile sappiness and a subtle crunch on the palate, giving the wine energy and tension. This reinforces the sense that this white has the capacity to age gracefully. 2026 – 2038

A man who loves to blend grape varieties, Adi Badenhorst makes this Swartland cuvée predominantly with Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc, complemented by smaller amounts of Verdelho, Palomino, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Roussanne, Marsanne and Sauvignon Blanc. Jasmine and wet stone aromas segue into a palate that’s savoury, sappy and complex, with subtle oak spices, pear, quince and nutmeg flavours and a salted almond tang. 2025 – 2030

53% Chenin Blanc, 24% Chardonnay, 19% Sémillon, 4% Viognier. New wine. Mainly old-vine Swartland Chenin but the Chardonnay is from Hemel, hence WO Western Cape.
Lots of texture and a bit more complexity than some 100% Chenins. Lots to chew on on the end. Notably long.