Alcohol percentage: 12.5%
Producer:
For 18 years (from 2000), Miles was the head winemaker at Tokara. During that period, he had an agreement with the owners that he could also make his own wines under his own label up to 10 tonnes of contracted fruit. Such was his success with these it was no surprise that he became fully independent from May 2018. Today, he is rightly regarded as one of the leading new wave producers in the Cape.
He makes wines in two different Stellenbosch facilities – and has extended production under 3 main category wine ranges: The Introduction, The Family, and The Chapters (which includes a Cape “Port”).
Vintage:
Kika is from the Family range, name after one of his daughters. This is a late harvest botrytised 100% Chenin Blanc from a vineyard planted in 1988 at 410 metres altitude in Simonsberg, Stellenbosch. Four separate pickings took place between the end of March and the beginning of May in 2023. In each case individual berries, which were increasingly affected and shrivelled by noble rot, were handpicked.
Placed in small crates and cold stored overnight they were then whole bunch crushed and cold soaked for 2 days. Fermentation took place in a mix of 228 and 400 litre French oak barrels (of which around 25% were new). Fermentation stopped naturally with around 192g/lt of residual sugar.
The Bottle Shop rating:
Offered in a half bottle size. Sweet with a luscious mouthfeel. This has bold notes of dried apricot, quince, ginger, and marmalade. Above all, the acidity gives vital balance and freshness to the wine. This is a very fine example of noble rotted Chenin Blanc.
Serve well chilled and can be enjoyed over a week or so if stoppered and put back in the fridge. Ready for drinking now and over the next year to 3-5 years.