DUNE TÉNÉRÉ is about exploring different winemaking techniques to make a wine with texture, phenolics and flavour complexity. We use Chenin Blanc from a neighboring property in Blewitt Springs planted in 1950 and grown on sand.
Once the fruit is picked, it is destemmed and straight to an open fermenter to complete its fermentation on skins. Once the fermentation is complete we cover the ferment and leave it on skins for an extended period before pressing to barrel. We age TÉNÉRÉ in used French hogsheads for approximately 6 months before bottling. TÉNÉRÉ is bottled with no fining and no filtration, hence the wine will have a cloudy appearance.
Aromas of peach skin, preserved lemons, brine and almond. The palate is defined by the waxy texture and fine chalky tannin which makes it a very interesting food wine. The palate has plenty of pears, lemon barley, saline and tonic like finish.
"In a clear bottle, showing off its apricot hue, perhaps serving as a caveat for less adventurous drinkers. Yes, it’s a skin-contact wine: chenin blanc with three weeks on skins. (The cuvée name, with its three jaunty acutes, is a desert that spans Niger and Chad.) The skins have added a fine, sandy (very apt) tannin, which is balanced out by an increase in viscosity and slipperiness, with apple skin, pickled ginger, preserved lemon, cumquat, quince paste and a pumice-like mineral character. There’s good pep and freshness here, though it needs food. 93 points"
Marcus Ellis, Wine Companion
