A focused and characterful Chenin Blanc from one of McLaren Vale’s most distinctive addresses. Now in its tenth vintage, Brash Higgins’ CHN comes from the steep, south-facing Willamba Hill vineyard in Blewitt Springs, a 35-year-old single site perched on deep white coastal sands over ironstone and clay, just kilometres from the Gulf of St. Vincent. Hand-picked and left on skins for two days before basket pressing, then fermented wild in neutral French barriques with full solids and 12 months on lees, no racking until bottling. Every decision here is made in service of texture and salinity, qualities the site gives naturally and the winemaking simply amplifies. The result is dry, textural and unmistakably coastal. Lemon verbena, preserved lemon and quince on the nose, with ginger, fennel and a saline mineral thread running through the palate. Vibrant, distinct and genuinely hard to put down.
