TESTALONGA BABY BANDITO STAY BRAVE SKIN FERMENTED CHENIN BLANC 2023

Tangy, herbal, spicy, a touch grippy, this is a fascinating SA Chenin Blanc from natural wine royalty Testalonga. Organically farmed, the fruit spends 14 days on skins, developing citrus, orange peel and floral flavours, and is full of youthful, perky acidity.

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"The grapes were hand harvested and 100% de-stemmed before fermenting spontaneously in fiberglass tanks. After about two weeks of skin contact, the wine was pressed off the skins and went back into the fiberglass tank for malo and aging. After 11 months, the wine was blended & bottled with a gentle filtration and sulfur addition. No fining.

Baby Bandito is a project that started in 2015. Craig & Carla wanted to work with vineyards that deliver wines that can be drunk young yet still “over deliver” in quality one would expect from our most affordable wine. There was a heavy influence from street artists (the good ones, not just your drunk student defacing someone’s wall, unless it was good) in the labels and the idea of a “series” using different and bright colours. The names of the wines come from expressions that are used as if giving encouragement to a child. Stay Brave is the “Baby” skin contact Chenin."