Albariño

These things you keep
You better throw them away
Turn your back
On your soulless days
Once you were tethered
Now you are free
That was the river
This is the sea

MIKE SCOTT – THIS IS THE SEA

Albariño (or Alvarinho, as it is known in northern Portugal) cuttings were first imported into South Africa by Newton Johnson Vineyards in the early part of the last decade, sourcing plant material from UC Davis in California. This was on the back of the unwelcome revelation that vines originally planted in Australia are, in fact, Savagnin, owing to a labelling error in a Spanish nursery collection.

Today, there are just a handful of producers in the Winelands who have access to the variety. Despite its rarity, Rick has some useful contacts…

The Francophile Chenin Blanc marks a departure for The Liberator since this latest release is neither an Episode nor a Special Edition. With such a fantastic resource of old, bush vine Chenin at his disposal, Rick has commissioned the making of this particular wine, rather than liberating an existing parcel. It’s intended to be sustainable and repeatable; to be enjoyed copiously in the knowledge that it is not subject to the finite quantities imposed by The Liberator Episodes.

Hand-picked from the weathered granite soils on the cooler south-east facing slopes of the Bottelary Hills, these grapes were sourced with Rick’s Francophile palate in mind. For the benefit of those anoraks among you, the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks (using indigenous yeasts), incorporating around 15% of whole bunches to help retain both fruit and freshness. After enjoying a two week post-fermentation maceration, the young wine was drawn-off into concrete tanks, stainless steel and seasoned barriques where it underwent the malo-lactic fermentation, before being aged for a further 12 months and then bottled (without filtration).