The Liberator Episode No.44 ‘Mudlarking’ Chenin Blanc 2023 Case

The Liberator Episode series is a selection of wines that could be a special blend, a a one off experiment or in this case a few barrels that had no home! Our mudlarking label is an original photograph of fragments of pottery gathered from the Cape over several decades. The image represents the converging multi-culturalism which has existed here since the country was first colonised in the 15^th Century: Chinese porcelain, Dutch Delftware, Staffordshire plate, European clay pipes…

This flor-influenced Chenin Blanc resembles one of these pieces of abandoned pottery, found trodden into the bare dirt on a rustic cellar floor. Resting in old 300 litre oak, it was never the intention to allow the wine to develop this way. In fact, it had been condemned by the winemaker himself as being ‘faulty’.

It certainly is not, its a very delicate flor influence on the nose- a touch of nuttiness alongside the more classic ripe pear and stone fruits. It gives the wine an almost saline quality, tangy and fresh – has real zest and energy, stone fruits, a hint of spice and that salinity on the finish.