Old Vine Chenin Blanc
Shackleton
Only 3300 bottles produced
1963 the year of the Shackleton crash was also the year when Stettyn laid their foundations for Stettyn Wine Cellar. The Rolls Royce – Griffon engines of the Shackleton pairs well with our Griffin icon that keep a guardian eye on the Stettyn treasure. We would like to give back to the community, with a donation for each bottle sold towards The Friends of the SAAF Museum.
The Shackleton Story
1963 was a memorable year. It marked the start of a turbulent decade in geopolitics which ended with the 1973 oil crisis. It was the year which would be remembered for the assassination of JFK and the escalation of the Vietnam War. The civil rights movement gained unstoppable momentum with Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech, which ultimately gave it mainstream appeal.
The Profumo scandal brought down the Tory government in the UK and the Beatles held their first major concert at the London Palladium, which signaled the start of the “Beatlemania”. On the African Continent it was the year of Kenyan independence and birth of the Organisation of African Unity.
In South Africa the Rivonia Trial started in October of that year, after the arrest of a number of leaders of the Anti-Apartheid struggle, including Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. A month earlier, a major and tragic air crash killed 13 members of the SAAF, when the Shackleton naval reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the Stettynsberg mountains. In the shadow of the mountains the wine growers of the valley just laid the foundations of Stettyn Cellar.
Today more than a half a century later the cellar, its vineyards and wines have grown and developed in scale, quality, and complexity whilst all that remains of the ill-fated Shackleton are its Rolls Royce Griffin engines slowly decaying as time passes in a remote mountain gorge.
Read the complete story of the Shackleton 1718 crash
Shackleton 2022 Description
Cultivar information
100% Chenin Blanc
The grapes
Under different regulations from wine governing bodies, specific criteria define the use of the term single vineyard on the label. Single vineyard wines are popular as the terroir of the vineyard is believed to be easier to identify and taste, and that the wine is superior, as more care and attention can be given to vines and grapes grown in a single location.
As a member of the Old Vine Project, we can add a Certified Heritage Seal on the bottle, Block 4 was planted in 1984 and produced a wine with unique character and exceptional quality.
In the cellar
Made with optimal ripe Chenin Blanc grapes.Â
Allowing a period of post – fermentation contact between wine and fermentation lees in 2nd fill French barrels for 6 months to enhance the stone fruit aromas and attractive body and texture of this Chenin.
Tasting Notes
A brilliant pale straw colour, with a promising nose of quince and stone fruit following through with a well-balanced textured pallet. A refreshing finish which keeps the Shackleton memories lingering on the aftertaste.
Analysis
- Residual Sugar 4.5 g/l
- Alcohol 13%
- Acidity 6.4g/l
- pH 3.51
Shackleton Memories
