91 pts Wine Advocate (NM)
The 2013 Chenin Blanc is sourced from 40- to 60-year-old vines picked on March 15 and sees 12 months in barrel. Twelve months on, that praline-scented bouquet remains intact, perhaps with more precision than it showed last year. The palate is well balanced and even more Rhône-like than before, waxy in texture with yellow plum and fresh ginger towards the finish. It seems to have improved in recent months and deserves a higher score.

91 pts Tim Atkin MW 2015
Niels Verburg is better known as a red winemaker, but he has a sure touch with whites too. This dry farmed, bush vine Chenin was fermented in older oak and has some skin contact “to keep red wine drinkers happy”. Pear, wax and spice with richness balanced by acidity. Drink: 2015-19.

88+ pts Vinous June 2015
(from 40-to-60-year-old vines planted in an area just north of Walker Bay; made with natural yeasts; batonnage in old barrels once a month for a year; kept on its lees without racking): Pale, bright yellow-straw. Subtly complex aromas and flavors of yellow peach, pineapple, candied ginger, anise, honey, menthol and fynbos. Juicy, herbal and firmly built, with lovely harmonious acidity giving shape to the rather backward mid-palate. Finishes with a youthful bitter edge, suggesting that it calls for patience. These vines were harvested block by block at different times for a layering effect and a wider range of flavors but today this very dry wine is distinctly laid-back and understated. – Stephen Tanzer