Cartology 2023 by Alheit Vineyards is a beautifully balanced and medium-bodied white wine, crafted from 94% Chenin Blanc and 6% Sémillon. Sourced from old, dry-farmed bushvines, it showcases vibrant aromas of lemon, almonds, and citrus blossoms. The palate is fresh and mineral-driven, with delicate spices and a savory, food-friendly finish. Aged in cement eggs, old foudre, and barrels, this wine will benefit from another year in the bottle, with excellent aging potential through 2035.

The Wine Advocate | RP 95
Published: Jun 05, 2025
Drink: 2024-2035

Here's an ambitious wine that beautifully captures the quality and the aspirations of contemporary South African wine. A wine with a clear identity, the Alheit Vineyards 2023 Western Cape Cartology Bush Vines is a blend of 94% Chenin Blanc and 6% Semillon. It draws its fruit from various carefully selected parcels of bush vines in the Western Cape. It starts off slow but maintains a beautiful pace as it picks up intensity and aromas with stone fruit, sweet citrus and crushed stone. It is naturally fermented, and you taste the delicate texture of the fruit. That lasting intensity pounces up from behind and leaves you with a long-lasting sense of purity and freshness.

James Suckling | JS 94
Published: Oct 25, 2024

This has an elegant and pretty nose of fresh pears, lemons, chamomile, wild thyme, beeswax and minerals. It’s deliciously salty and savory on the palate, medium-bodied but compact and fleshy, nicely weighted. Long and cool. 94% chenin blanc and 6% semillon from bush vines across the Western Cape. Drink from 2025.

Jancis Robinson | JR 17++
Published: Oct 16, 2024
Drink: 2027-2032

Cartology parcels are dry-farmed bush vines, with a minimum age of 35 years, although most are between 40 and 50 years old. Average yields for these parcels is around 3 tons/ha or around 20 hl/ha. Cartology 2023 is 94% Chenin Blanc and 6% Sémillon. The Chenin comes from our parcels in the Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Malmesbury, Paardeberg, Bottelary, False Bay and Tygerberg. The Sémillon comes from the old La Colline block in Franschhoek. The grapes were hand-sorted and whole-bunch pressed. The juice was very lightly settled to very cloudy raw juice with no additions to the raw juice. Spontaneous fermentation took place in concrete eggs, old foudres and old barrels (various sizes). Fermentation of various parcels lasted anywhere between three weeks and 11 months. The wine was kept on lees for around 12 months, then rested in tank on fine lees without fining for a further five months prior to bottling. RS 2 g/l, TA 5.67 g/l, pH 3.36.
Tense nose. It smells of a sense of waiting, of expectation, the pause before the storm. Tangerine. Pineapple skin. Pomelo. There's a moment, mid palate, when the flavours, too, pause, coiling into themselves as if trying to contain their energy. A wine that seems in no hurry to spread its wings, although you can see them there, rippling with undercurrent of power. An aggregate of tiny snapshots of gold and green, filling the corners with nervous energy. Hold this back if you can – it needs all the time you can give it. 

Alheitvineyards.co.za

Cartology is a vinous exploration of Cape heritage. It's intended to be a picture of the Cape seen through the lens of her old vineyards in a given vintage. The cuvee is composed of rare and extraordinary parcels of mature dryland bushvines, of heritage grapes, namely Chenin Blanc and Semillon. These grapes have been planted in the Cape for centuries.
Cartology has become our staple offering. It serves as a poster child for our project, and also seems to have become a flag bearer for Cape heritage wine in general.

Vineyards:
As a rule, the Cartology parcels are dry farmed bushvines, with a minimum age of 30 years, although most are between 40 and 50 years old. Average yields for these parcels is around 3 tons/Ha or around 20hl/Ha.
Cartology is 90% Chenin blanc and 10% Semillon. The Chenin comes from our parcels in the Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Perdeberg, Bottelary, False Bay and Tygerberg. The Semillon comes from the old La Colline block in Franschhoek.

Tasting Notes:
Weight and power are not the same thing. Here's a wine with a moderate palate weight that has both intensity and power. The nose is wonderful: kumquat citrus, sweet oatmeal and honey, maybe elderflower. The palate is fine and bright, reminiscent of salty/sweet candied lemon, great length.

Technical Details:
Varieties: 90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Semillon

The Name: Cartology means the study of maps or charts. It could not be more perfect name for this wine. Not only because of our endeavours to search for and find these special old vineyards, but also because the wine itself can be seen as a vinous map or tapestry of the Cape.