Craven Wines – Vintage 2020 Release

Ex Animo Wine Co is delighted to offer the new Vintage 2020 wines from Mick and Jeanine Craven. These wines are available in limited quantities and we expect them to sell out quickly.

Working exclusively with Stellenbosch WO, Jeanine and Mick have been making Craven Wines since 2013. All their wines are single vineyard and single varietal.

Their goals are purity, freshness and balance – there is minimal interference with the grapes (only SO2) once they reach the cellar. Although they do not own any vineyards, by far most of the Cravens’ efforts throughout the year is spent in the vineyards and working with the farmers from whom they buy their fruit.

Most of the vineyards (Bluegum Grove, Karibib, Newlands) they source from are in the Polkadraai Hills ward of Stellenbosch. The granite soils here allow the Cravens to show the precision of the fruit they work with. There is a laser-like focus on the palate of these wines – this includes the skin-contact Pinot Gris which has gained a cult following around the world. The Cabernet Sauvignon is also gaining in standing, with Greg Sherwood MW being a recent convert.

Jeanine’s family’s farm was in Faure in southern Stellenbosch. This area is near where they source the fruit for their Cinsaut. As with Polkadraai, this area in southern Stellenbosch has granite soils, but is a cooler microclimate thanks in part to the proximity to False Bay to the south and the cool mountain air sinking off the nearby Helderberg.

The Firs Syrah is sourced from the Devon Valley ward of Stellenbosch, which has a very different soil profile to either Polkadraai Hills or Faure. Here the soil is a rich, burnt orange coloured clay. This gives the wines more depth and power whereas granite soils tend to give perfume, precision and intensity.

In our opinion Craven Wines are producing some of the most exciting wines coming out of Stellenbosch.

Vintage 2020 has resulted in low-alcohol, intense wines of precision and perfume. The ripening season was gentle and uneventful, allowing the grapes to retain their acidity as sugar increased. This means the wines have lovely fruit purity balanced with graceful structure.

This is the second vintage of the Craven’s Chardonnay. Fruit was sourced on a lovely block of Chardonnay in Polkadraai granite soils farmed by Danie Carinus that has helped reveal the saline, steely character that Chardonnay can exhibit when it is at its best. Not quite a wine for those who want butter and oak, but magnificent for those who like precision and refreshment.

The fantastic Karibib farm is in the heart of the Polkadraai Hills and this block is farmed without herbicides and unnecessary pesticides. Wine is made to express that classic Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc character of yellow fruits (Pear and quince) while still having the focus that the Polkadraai granite adds.

A favourite of ours: the skin-fermented Craven Pinot Gris. Copper-coloured, uber-aromatic, super-refreshing and straight-up delicious.

From a truly special vineyard planted 3km from False Bay it is a relatively ‘cooler’ site in Stellenbosch. Cinsaut at its best creates such lovely fresh, vibrant wine with amazing aromatics. The same vineyard that Bernard Bredell, from Scions of Sinai, uses. 100% de-stemming means the fruit can come to the fore on the palate.

Our favourite Craven wine here at Ex Animo. Fruit comes from a really nice site up on the slopes of Devon Valley. Planted on deep red, iron rich clay soils we love how this soil adds structure and intensity to the wine without having to ripen the grapes to monster levels. 0% de-stemming to add spiciness and finesse of tannin from the bunches to the wine. Lovely black olive and blackberry fruits. Truly special.

This is the third vintage of the Craven Cabernet, and their most accomplished yet.. Like the Chenin Blanc, it is from the Karibib Farm high up in the Polkadraai Hills west of Stellenbosch town, this allows the Cravens to pick earlier (12.5%) yet avoid excessive greenness that can be prevalent in many other Cabernet wines. For the first time, the Cravens destemmed a portion of the fruit. The wine still delivers all the Cabernet flavours you would expect, but it doesn’t come with the 15% alc.