Brookdale's Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard 2020 was crowned the Trophy Winner for the Best Old Vine Wine, in South Africa’s most prestigious wine competition, The Trophy Wine Show, with Investec as headline sponsor. At the awards ceremony, Brookdale’s winemaker, Kiara Scott, received the Rosa Kruger Trophy for the 2020 vintage, which took Gold with a top score of 97/100 placing it first in its category. The 2022 Trophy Wine Show was Brookdale’s first time participating in the competition which is judged by an illustrious international and local judging panel, chaired by wine authority Michael Fridjhon.
Brookdale’s Trophy Award follows hot on the heels of its excellent result in the Decanter World Wine Awards, where the same vintage of Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard also scored Gold. Kiara Scott attributes the astounding success of this vintage to ‘an evolution in our winemaking practices, as we work with our heritage vines and terroir to express vintage specific characteristics with minimal intervention.’
Brookdale is situated at the foothills of the Drakenstein Mountains of the Paarl Wine Valley where a 36-year-old block of trellised Chenin Blanc is one of few certified ‘Old Vine Chenin Blancs’ in the region. The Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard (2020) was the highest scoring white wine from the Paarl region in the 2022 Decanter Awards, clearly showing a world of possibility within the Paarl terroir through the unique combination of character and elegance when in the right hands.
The Brookdale Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard (2020) is only the fourth expression of this terroir-specific wine that is produced in limited quantities. It is widely recognised for its flavour, nuanced character and precise equilibrium. Under the gentle hand of winemaker Kiara Scott, the wine has enjoyed the benefit of a minimal intervention approach to winemaking, that results in a unique combination of character and elegance in the glass.
‘Unmasked, crushed stones unspool while limey, powdered chalk rides a wave of white citrus and white pear, underpinned by subtle oak spice. On the palate, the sensational white fruit continues. The mineral structure presents vertical and endless, enlivened by soft buoyant acids and a mouth-coating citrus purity. The finish is luminous, with a real granitic freshness’, commented wine writer Malu Lambert.
Brookdale’s range of lifestyle wines under the Mason Road label was also entered into The Trophy Wine Show for the first time this year. The Mason Road Chenin Blanc 2021 (scored 93) and Mason Road Serendipity Rosé 2021 (scored 90) walked away with Silver-medals to prove the mettle of the young winery’s burgeoning wine portfolio.
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