Craven Clairette Blanche 2018

Mick Craven has been a friend of Uncharted for some time and we are delighted to sell his wines in the UK. Mick and his wife Jeanine started Craven Wines in 2014, sourcing fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch and making “site-specific, honest wines”. Originally from Australia Mick met Jeanine whilst working in Sonoma, California, before both moving to South Africa in 2011.

All fruit sourced now comes only from vineyards whose farmers are dedicated to working their land organically. Stellenbosch has an array of different sites and terroirs allowing Mick to “let the grapes do the talking…” Increasingly farmers are understanding the importance of cover crops and removing chemical treatments.

Things are kept relatively simple; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents are added. Juice is pressed into old oak barrels and minimal additions of sulphur are used at bottling.  A portion of the Clairette (60%) is fermented on skins, the rest whole bunch pressed before being blended back together.

The Clairette comes from a 32 year old block in the Polkadraai. This variety has become increasingly rare as it is replaced by more popular, well-known varieties.