WTN: Lubanzi Swartland Chenin Blanc

[Robin Garr]

A really good South African Chenin Blanc at a very reasonable price. What's not to like?

Lubanzi 2023 Swartland South Africa Chenin Blanc ($14.99)

Ripe with the scents of peaches, honeydew melons, and lemon zest, Lubanzi Swartland Chenin Blanc shows an attractive greenish-gold brass color in the glass. Its fresh and bright aromas carry over on the palate in a medium-bodied flavor with juicy fruit and zippy acidity adding appealing hints of stony minerality in a very long finish. 12.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Cape Venture, Kansas City, Mo. (June 10, 2025)

FOOD MATCH: Chenin Blanc, like Riesling among whites and Pinot Noir with the reds, is a versatile food wine that goes well with a broad range of fare. It's made for all manner of seafood and fish, would sing with roast or grilled chicken or pork. It would be lovely with spicy Asian fare, and makes a natural plant-based marriage with bean and lentil dishes, mushroom or eggplant-based entrees.

WHEN TO DRINK: This young wine is drinking beautifully now, and the short T-cork that's easy to twist off doesn't bode well for long cellaring. If you wanted to make the effort to recork it, though, balanced Chenin like this can evolve beautifully over years in a good cellar.

VALUE:
My $15 local price improves on Wine-Searcher.com's $18 average U.S. retail, but this appealing, complex Chenin Blanc is an excellent value throughout that range.

WEB LINK:
Here is Lubanzi's info page on the 2023 Swartland Chenin Blanc. Click here to read the charming story behind this winery named after a friendly dog who met two hikers on a 100-mile journey to South Africa's Wild Coast.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Lubanzi Swartland Chenin Blanc on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read about South Africa's Swartland wine region and find a selection of its wines at this Wine-Searcher link.

Go to this Wine-Searcher link for a broad overview of the Chenin Blanc grape and its styles around the world.

Thanks for the review, Robin. I used to belong to a Cape Wine Society and I was up on most of what was available here (back then the chenins were marketed as Steen) and recall some really decent wines, but I haven't been keeping up with them in recent years.

With your review as inspiration I'll try and pay them a bit more attention, especially in what looks to be a long hot summer here! Sadie used to do a good one, but sadly not available here these days.

[Robin Garr]

Bill, Peter May can probably tell us more about this, but I gather that the use of Steen for Chenin hasn't entirely disappeared in Soth Africa - tradition is hard to dislodge - but it's much less common as a moniker than it used to be.

It's a funny story about Steen. You probably see more wines labelled as Steen in the USA than we do in UK or indeed in South Africa. The variety historically named Steen was first planted there in 1655 and today they grow more Chenin than all the rest of the world put together.

But for most of that time they didn’t realise they were growing Chenin. A labelling tag swap on the first vines shipped to them meant that the name attached to the grape was Listan (synonym of the Sherry grape Palomino). Over time 'Li' became 'Le' and then was dropped, and 'Stan' became ‘Steen’. It was only in 1964 that Steen was finally proved to be Chenin and that name was enthusiastically used. The Chenin Blanc Producers organisation was formed.

There were only two wines that used Steen on their labels, one was Mulderbosch Winery which made both an unoaked Chenin and an oaked one which as well as Chenin had in smaller letters 'Steen op Hout', i.e. 'Steen with wood'.

Some time ago I wrote (on this forum I think) in response to someone asserting the Chenin was known as Steen in South Africa that it wasn't true and they posted a photo of a KWV labelled Steen.

Shortly afterwards I went to the KWV shop in Paarl and they had only Chenin. So I asked. They said that they used Steen as the name only on Chenin exported to the USA.

The reason apparently is the number of bloggers and wine 'experts' on US websites who've not been to South Africa and repeat what they have read that Chenin is called Steen in South Africa that thus KWVs agents in the USA expected to have Steen.

Recently a small number of Afrikaans speaking new winemakers have labelled their wines in Afrikaans and used the Steen name.

There are some great Chenins grown and made in South Africa. I love the variety, but I've not had Lubanzi.