Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North Mountain Makstok 2017

Ungrafted Chenin Blanc from red sand over red clay, aged in decade-old neutral 300-litre barrels. The nose is focused and herb-driven, lemon thyme, sage, broom and crushed stone, with a trace of mint keeping things lifted. On the palate, saline tension takes hold immediately, with orange pith, dried mango and white pepper building toward a faintly ferrous close. Long and tightly-knit, but worth holding two to three years to let it fully unwind.