Angus Paul Fantamtango Chenin Blanc 2024
Learn More About This Wine
One sight: the Upper Blauwklippen Valley on the Helderberg; one grape: Chenin Blanc. The Helderberg is the natural monument of Stellenbosch, like the spine of some titan protruding from the earth. This vineyard sits about 280 metres above sea level. Tucked into a deep kloof of the Helderberg, rich in red and yellow granitic soils. It is cool, by Stellenbosch standards, and receives ample rain in winter from the mountain catchment.
Grapes are hand-picked and cooled overnight. The following morning, they are put into the press and pressed as whole bunches. No sulphur, yeast, acid, enzymes, or water added. Very cloudy juice was transferred straight to a combination of concrete eggs and neutral oak barrels, with only the heaviest solids left behind. Fermentation took place over 4 weeks, after which full malolactic fermentation was completed. In Autumn, wines were sulphured for the first time. Wines were bottled in January 2025, with nothing but a prebottling racking taking place.
Baked clay, jasmine, and yellow peaches denote the signature of the vineyard. It is a classic Chenin in this respect. Pure and exotic. Look a little deeper and the subtler nuances of citrus unveil themselves. The palate rips with tension, fizzling down the tongue as a sherbet powder.
False Bay is a mysterious name. What could it imply? The usual answer is that it duped the budding sailors, prospectors & stowaways into believing they’d entered Table Bay & therefore Cape Town. So, it is a phantom destination, one that grapes, ships and people of the Cape have had to dance with to render their living.
Tim Atkin’s MW – South Africa Report 2025 – 95 points
Fantamtango is the best wine yet from Angus Paul, a young winemaker with a stellar future. Made with grapes from Keermont in Stellenbosch, it’s rich, layered, beautifully judged Chenin Blanc with layers of beeswax, oatmeal, pear and yellow apple, racy acidity and a petrichor top note.
