Alheit Vineyards : Fire by Night 2024

Tasting notes and recommendations for Fire by Night 2024 from Alheit Vineyards

Tasting

Color
The color reveals a straw-yellow hue with golden highlights, bright and luminous.

Nose
The bouquet opens with notes of green citrus fruits and fresh grapefruit. Herbal nuances follow, recalling freshly cut grass and lemongrass, along with a mineral, subtly stony touch that gives the nose a delicate, captivating character.

Palate
On the palate, the wine is pure and precise, driven by vibrant, refreshing acidity. The mineral structure takes center stage, accompanied by flavors of lemon oil and a zesty, saline energy. This lively balance carries through to a long, incisive finish, marked by a creamy texture with notes of blanched nuts.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs beautifully with grilled turbot, light meats such as glazed pork tenderloin, or mustard rabbit leg. It also harmonizes elegantly with refined grilled fish such as sea bass or whole turbot.

Serving and cellaring potential

Fire by Night 2024 can be enjoyed starting in 2025 and is expected to cellar until around 2045.

A mineral-driven, expressive Chenin Blanc from South Africa

The estate

Founded in 2011 by Chris and Suzaan Alheit, Alheit Vineyards is based at Hemelrand Farm in the Walker Bay region of the Western Cape. Trained alongside Eben Sadie, the duo now runs a 21-hectare estate spread across eight parcels: Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Paardeberg, Bottelary Hills, Tygerberg, Franschhoek, False Bay and Hemel & Aarde. The estate’s philosophy is rooted in radical minimalism: dry farming without irrigation, spontaneous fermentations, aging on the lees in concrete eggs, foudres and old barrels, with no fining and no additives.

The vineyard

Fire by Night comes exclusively from the Nuwedam property in Paardeberg in the Swartland. The old bush vines (Gobelet) of the Chenin Blanc grape variety, planted between 1972 and 1985, are farmed dry on pure, decomposed granite soils. The vineyard lies at 300 to 350 meters in altitude, with parcels facing east, west and north. This sustainable approach relies on hand harvesting to preserve the integrity of the grapes.

Vinification and aging

After hand selection, the grapes destined for this Fire by Night 2024 are whole-bunch pressed, then lightly settled to obtain a cloudy must. Spontaneous fermentation takes place without any additives in concrete eggs, foudres and old barrels for about one month. This wine from the Western Cape then ages for 12 months on the lees in the same vessels, followed by a further 5 months in tank on the fine lees. No fining is carried out.

Grape variety

100% Chenin Blanc