96 points, Tim Atkin
“In memory of Basie,” reads the label, which is a nice tribute to the legendary grower, Basie van Lill, from whose farm Eben Sadie sources Skurfberg. Using dry-farmed grapes from a 0.8-ha parcel on red granite and iron soils, this is pale, floral and comparatively forward for a wine from this terroir, with passion fruit, peach and lemon zest flavours and the minerality that comes with the territory on Citrusdal Mountain."
The Skurfberg Mountain is part of the Citrusdal mountain area and the word Skurfberg (Rugged Mountain) mainly refers to the edgy and rough appearance of the mountain. The soil is mainly decomposed Table Mountain sandstone formations and tends to be very sandy. It is a truly great site for Chenin and it is most unusual that such a warm and dry area still produces wines with this enormous texture and freshness.
For this 2023 Skurfberg vintage, we also opted to pick seemingly prematurely, as it is in the Citrusdal Mountains and shares the same seasonal dynamics. The physiology of the fruit seemed delayed, yet the wine also yielded 13.9% alcohol. The combination of the volume of the wine and the firm acidity makes for an incredible wine that is essentially built to last. The trademark granny smith apple, pear skin, and lanolin are very present in the aromas. The wine’s viscosity and volume, combined with the cutting acidity, suggest that this vintage has the mechanics to age incredibly well, like Kokerboom.
