Wine prices
| Reference | Vintage / size | Price / bottle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Producer priceRecommended retail price | 2024 / 750ml | ≈ $42.59Original ZAR 700.00≈ €37.90 · £32.02 | luddite.co.za ↗ |
| Lowest shop price | 2024 / 750ml | ≈ $96.08Original €85.50 | gute-weine.de ↗ |
2024 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 11.39%
Residual Sugar 2.2 g/L
pH 3.45
Total Acidity 5.9 g/L
Calories (estimated) 95 kcal / glass
150ml glass95 kcal
750ml bottle475 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Grapes Picked January 26, 2024, February 1, 2024
Maceration 24 days
Extended Maceration Yes
Production Details This year we experimented with a bit more time on skins. This has given the mid-palate a bit more texture and palate weight even though the alcohol has remained low. Normal house style keeping it simple; crush, destalk and allowing it to naturally ferment in open fermenters. Once fermentation starts, we punch down twice a day to keep the ferment homogenous. After fermentation, we seal the bins and allow post maceration for as long as we can sleep comfortably without wondering what's happening inside the bins. This vintage took 24 days on skins before our nerves broke, but we left 2 bins for 30 days extended skin contact to see if this would give us more texture. We pressed directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible. This allows the wine to fill out and add texture with our regular batonnaging. This year is showing more fruit; peach, pears and melons. This wine remains a multi-dimensional experience, continually revealing different nuances and flavours. The palate is bold and weighty, even though the wine's alcohol is below 12% like previous years. Good news is that we have a little bit more of our Chenin to offer. Our Chenin still remains a very thought-provoking wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Golden sultanas, honey and white pear.
Palate: Savoury, salty entry with a broad pithy mid-palate. Gooseberry and lime dominates the long, dry finish ever changing as it reacts with the oxygen in your glass. Very thought-provoking.
2023 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 11.8%
Residual Sugar 1.4 g/L
pH 3.6
Total Acidity 5.7 g/L
Calories (estimated) 100 kcal / glass
150ml glass100 kcal
750ml bottle500 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates January 26, 2023, January 31, 2023
Brix at Harvest 20.0°
Sites House Block, Dog Block
Maceration 25 days
Extended Maceration Yes
Production Volume 1,570 bottles
Bottles1,570
Production Details This year we experimented with a bit more time on skins. This has given the midpalate a bit more texture and palate weight even though the alcohol has remained low. Normal house style keeping it simple; crush, destalk and allowing it to naturally ferment in open fermenters. Once fermentation starts, we punch down twice a day to keep the ferment homogenous. After fermentation, we seal the bins and allow post maceration for as long as we can sleep comfortably without wondering what's happening inside the bins. This vintage took 25 days on skins before our nerves broke. We press directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible. This allows the wine to fill out and add texture with our regular batonnaging. This year is a bit quirkier than most. Darker colour due to the extended skin contact and just a hint of flor to add more to an already multidimensional wine. The palate is bold and weighty, even though the wine's alcohol is below 12% like previous years. Unfortunately, 2023 was rather dry and so we have less wine this year. Our Chenin still remains a very thought-provoking wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Green melons, spice, savoury white fruit with a hint of honey
Palate: Hint of savoury flor on entry with peaches, spice and telltale Luddite Chenin saltiness on the finish. Good acidity balances the palate from start to finish. Very thought-provoking.
2022 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 11.82%
Residual Sugar 1.2 g/L
pH 3.49
Total Acidity 5.5 g/L
Calories (estimated) 100 kcal / glass
150ml glass100 kcal
750ml bottle500 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 8, 2022, February 9, 2022, February 23, 2022
Brix at Harvest 20.5°
Natural Yeast Yes
Maceration 22 days
Extended Maceration Yes
Production Volume 2,500 bottles
Bottles2,500
Production Details Much excitement as we are almost back to normal volumes. This has come about with the new House Block in full production and luckily giving us the quality we need for our Chenin Blanc. Normal house style keeping it simple; crush, destalk and allowing it to naturally ferment in open fermenters. Once fermentation starts, we punch down twice a day to keep the ferment homogenous. After fermentation, we seal the bins and allow post maceration for as long as we can sleep comfortably without wondering what's happening inside the bins. This vintage took 22 days on skins before our nerves broke. We press directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible. This allows the wine to fill out and add texture with our regular batonnaging. The Chenin is an outlet for the geek in Niels, allowing him to remember himself as a stamp collector. Precise, patient but allowing the wine to speak for itself. The 2022 vintage is showing unbelievable balance and elegance, yet still showing lovely palate-weight even though the wine's alcohol is below 12%. Our Chenin still remains a very thought-provoking wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Citrus blossom, spice and fromage. After a while, nose opens up to give hints of white fruit and the slightest touch of honey wax.
Palate: Fresh lean entry. Very dry mid-palate with grapefruit pithiness, green plums and white fruit. The finish is long, lean and salty.
2021 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.35%
Residual Sugar 2.9 g/L
pH 3.4
Total Acidity 6.3 g/L
Calories (estimated) 105 kcal / glass
150ml glass105 kcal
750ml bottle525 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 9, 2021
Brix at Harvest 21.0°
Fermentation Vessels Open Fermenters, Oak Barrel
Pressing Method Destemmed
Natural Yeast Yes
Maceration 21 days
Unfiltered Yes
Production Volume 1,900 bottles
Bottles1,900
Production Details Our 10th vintage.. hooray!! We continue to polish our established house style that works for our Chenin Blanc. Keeping it simple, crush, destalk and allowing it to naturally ferment in open fermenters. This vintage saw the added excitement of our new Chenin block bearing its first real crop and then the pressure to see if it would be good enough to make it into the final blend. Once fermentation starts, we punch down twice a day to keep the ferment homogenous. After fermentation, we seal the bins and allow post maceration for as long as we can sleep comfortably without wondering what's happening inside the bins. This vintage took 21 days on skins before our nerves broke. We press directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible. This allows the wine to fill out and add texture with our regular battonnaging. The Chenin is an outlet for the geek in Niels, allowing him to remember himself as a stamp collector. Precise, patient but allowing the wine to speak for itself. The 2021 vintage is leaner than most years due to a higher natural acidity which seems to be coming from the new "Dog Block" portion and this balances out the slightly riper fruit than previous vintages. This wine still remains a very thought-provoking wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: spicy, lime blossom, greengage, white fruit, dry peaches, flor
Palate: fresh lean entry, great palate weight, white fruit, dry peaches, long, lean, salty
2020 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 11.5%
Residual Sugar 1 g/L
pH 3.31
Total Acidity 5.98 g/L
Calories (estimated) 95 kcal / glass
150ml glass95 kcal
750ml bottle475 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates January 20, 2020, January 27, 2020
Brix at Harvest 18.8°
Sites House Block, Dog Block
Natural Yeast Yes
Maceration 22 days
Extended Maceration Yes
Production Volume 1,320 bottles
Bottles1,320
Production Details This was the ninth vintage and continued the established house style: crush, destalk and allow the Chenin Blanc to ferment naturally in open fermenters. The wine spent 22 days on skins before pressing directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible, with regular batonnage to add texture. The 2020 vintage was the first to include fruit from the Dog Block, which added minerality to the final blend.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Spicy, greengage, savoury and nutty, opening up to pears and peaches.
Palate: Grippy textured entry with notable palate weight for the low alcohol, finishing with white fruit, spice and a salty minerality.
2019 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.65%
Residual Sugar 1.44 g/L
pH 3.34
Total Acidity 6.53 g/L
Calories (estimated) 105 kcal / glass
150ml glass105 kcal
750ml bottle525 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates January 25, 2019
Brix at Harvest 21.0°
Natural Yeast Yes
Maceration 20 days
Extended Maceration Yes
Production Volume 1,130 bottles
Bottles1,130
Production Details This was the eighth vintage and the house style had been established: crush, destalk and allow the Chenin Blanc to ferment naturally in open fermenters, with punch-downs twice a day to keep the ferment homogeneous. After fermentation, the bins were sealed and post-maceration continued for around 20 days before pressing directly to barrel with as much sediment as possible to add texture.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Spicy, with a touch of roasted almonds and star anise, opening up to hints of white peach.
Palate: Clean refreshing saline entry with a nutty fore-palate, followed by pears, spice and cinnamon on the mid-palate and a long lean aftertaste with a hint of peachy sweetness.
2018 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 11.34%
Residual Sugar 1.1 g/L
pH 3.34
Total Acidity 6.7 g/L
Calories (estimated) 95 kcal / glass
150ml glass95 kcal
750ml bottle475 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 1, 2018
Brix at Harvest 20.6°
Natural Yeast Yes
Lees Aging 1 year
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Production Volume 1,000 bottles
Bottles1,000
Production Details 2018 continued the trend of a dry, hot lead-up to harvest, so crops were down again and picking moved earlier. The wine was fermented naturally on skins with morning and evening punch downs, then pressed and racked with lees and sediment into barrel. Old barrels were used to let the grape expression come through. The wine stayed on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage and no sulphur was added during élevage; sulphur was added only at bottling.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Spicy, with a touch of freshly buttered toast and star anise, opening up to hints of peach.
Palate: Clean refreshing entry with green plums and melon on the fore-palate, then pears, spice and cinnamon on the mid-palate, finishing long and lean with a hint of peachy sweetness.
2016 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.9%
Residual Sugar 1.6 g/L
pH 3.47
Total Acidity 5.9 g/L
Calories (estimated) 110 kcal / glass
150ml glass110 kcal
750ml bottle550 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 10, 2016
Brix at Harvest 21.8°
Natural Yeast Yes
Lees Aging 1 year
Used Oak Only Yes
Production Volume 1,400 bottles
Bottles1,400
Production Details 2016 was very dry and warm and the crop was down due to dry vineyard farming, so the picking date was a week earlier than 2015. The wine was fermented naturally on skins with morning and evening punch downs, then pressed and racked with lees and sediment into old barrels. It stayed on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage and no sulphur was added during élevage. Sulphur was added only during bottling to protect the wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Nutty hints of creme brulee, spice, green gage plums and star anise.
Palate: Clean refreshing entry with pears and green melon on the fore-palate, followed by a long lean aftertaste with spicy refreshing citrus length.
2015 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.15%
Residual Sugar 1.6 g/L
pH 3.36
Total Acidity 6.3 g/L
Calories (estimated) 100 kcal / glass
150ml glass100 kcal
750ml bottle500 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc, Viognier
Chenin Blanc
Viognier
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 16, 2015, February 21, 2015
Brix at Harvest 19.5°
Sites Luddite Farm, Avondzon Farm
Vine Age 40-60 years
Lees Aging 1 year
Used Oak Only Yes
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Production Details The Luddite Chenin 2015 was fermented naturally on skins with a morning and evening punch down. After fermentation, the grapes were pressed and racked with lees and sediment to barrel. Old barrels were used. The wine was left on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage. No sulphur was added during winemaking to allow the wine to develop its own characteristics without any intervention. After blending the two batches of wine, a splash of Viognier was added to flesh out the mid pallet and nose. Sulphur was added during bottling to protect the wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: limes, green melon, pear drops, cinnamon and spice
Palate: clean refreshing entry, citrus, peach and melon flavours balance the rich mid pallet, lingering spice and grapefruit freshness
2014 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.91%
Residual Sugar 2.1 g/L
pH 3.49
Total Acidity 5.7 g/L
Calories (estimated) 110 kcal / glass
150ml glass110 kcal
750ml bottle550 kcal
Region Bot River
Grapes Picked February 18, 2014, March 18, 2014
Brix at Harvest 21.25°
Sites Luddite Farm, Van Der Stel Pass, Avontzon Farm
Vine Age 40-60 years
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel
Natural Yeast Yes
Lees Aging 1 year
Production Volume 3,850 bottles
Bottles3,850
Production Details The Luddite Chenin is a real "push the boat out" wine. We really want to express the nature of Chenin Blanc in the Bot River area, so both batches were fermented naturally on skins with a morning and evening punch down. After fermentation, the grapes were pressed and racked with lees and sediment to barrel. I feel by doing this we have allowed the wine to express richer flavour and a fuller structure. We used old barrels to allow the natural grape expression to come through. The wine was left on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage – no sulphur was added to allow the wine to develop its own characteristics without any intervention. The two batches were blended and then bottled and we are very excited with the result. After maturation, the wine was racked and blended together, given a rough filtration and the sulphur was adjusted to protect it through the bottling process. Due to the absolute natural winemaking, the wine shows reductive notes on the nose. These reductive flavours will however dissipate over time.
Tasting Notes
Nose: It starts off a bit reductive i.e. flinty struck match and wet dog, then opens up to reveal beautiful peach and apricot aromatics with hints of honey, cinnamon and spice coming to the fore
Palate: Rich, mouth filling entry with yellow peach, melons, raisins and spice. Good fruit sweetness balanced by clean, citrus tones create a beautifully balanced wine with a refreshing finish
2013 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.41%
Residual Sugar 1.2 g/L
pH 3.61
Total Acidity 5.1 g/L
Calories (estimated) 110 kcal / glass
150ml glass110 kcal
750ml bottle550 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc100%
Region Bot River
Grapes Picked March 15, 2013
Brix at Harvest 22.5°
Vine Age 40-60 years
Lees Aging 1 year
Used Oak Only Yes
Production Details The Luddite Chenin is a real "push the boat out" wine. We really want to express the nature of Chenin Blanc in the Bot River area, so batches of free run juice and pressed juice were put in barrel without settling and allowed to ferment naturally. We also did a 24 hour pressing to get more extraction and palate weight. I feel by doing this we have allowed the wine to express richer flavour and a fuller structure. We used old barrels to allow the natural grape expression to come through. The wine was left on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage – no sulphur was added to allow the wine to develop its own characteristics without any intervention. The two batches were blended and then bottled and we are very excited with the result. The wine remained in barrels for 12 months after which the wine was lightly filtered and sulphur corrected before bottling.
Tartaric Acid 6.0 g/L
Tasting Notes
Nose: It starts off a bit reductive i.e. flinty struck match, then opens up to reveal beautiful peach and apricot aromatics with hints of honey and spice coming to the fore
Palate: Rich, mouth filling entry with yellow peach, melons, raisins and spice. Good fruit sweetness balanced by clean, citrus tones create a beautifully balanced wine with a refreshing finish
2012 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.79%
Residual Sugar 1.4 g/L
pH 3.44
Total Acidity 5.7 g/L
Calories (estimated) 105 kcal / glass
150ml glass105 kcal
750ml bottle525 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Region Bot River
Grapes Picked March 7, 2012, April 12, 2012
Brix at Harvest 21.2°
Vine Age 30 year old vines, 40 - 60 year old vines
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel
Lees Aging 1 year
Production Volume 2,400 bottles
Bottles2,400
Production Details The Luddite Chenin is a real “push the boat out” wine. We really wanted to express the nature of Chenin Blanc in the Bot River area so batches of free run juice and pressed juice were put in barrel without settling and allowed to ferment naturally. We also did a batch of fermentation on skins with regular punch downs. I feel by doing this we have allowed the wine to express exactly the direction it wanted to go. We used old barrels to allow the natural grape expression to come through. The wine was left on lees for 12 months with regular batonnage – no sulphur was added to allow the wine to develop its own characteristics without any intervention. All the batches were blended and then bottled and we are very excited with the result. The wine remained in barrels for 12 months after which the wine was lightly filtered and sulphur corrected before bottling.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Peachy apricot with hints of honey and spice. Can tend to be reductive on certain days.
Palate: Rich, mouth filling entry with yellow peach, melons, raisins and spice. Good fruit sweetness balanced by clean, citrus tones create a beautifully balanced wine with a refreshing finish.
Shop prices
| Reference | Vintage / size | Price / bottle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shop price | 2023 / 750ml | ≈ $98.89Original €88.00 | gute-weine.de ↗ |
| Shop price | 2024 / 750ml | ≈ $96.08Original €85.50 | gute-weine.de ↗ |
Producer Information
Website
Address
Van Der Stel Pass, Bot River, 7185, Western Cape, South Africa
Phone
+27 (0) 28 001 0516
Email
Owner
Niels and Penny Verburg
Cellarmaster
Niels Verburg & Alice Verburg