Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North 2023

Ungrafted, own-rooted Chenin from the Olifants River, planted from a massal selection whose exact origin has been lost. The nose is sharply mineral — struck flint, sea spray, chalk dust — with a charged, focused energy that nudges just ahead of its sibling the Huilkrans. On the palate it's pristine and tightly-knit, the acidity calibrated to a fine edge, with a cool thread of menthol surfacing toward the finish. Outstanding.