With the 2000 maiden vintage of the Ken Forrester FMC, pioneering winemaker Ken Forrester was committed to producing the pinnacle of what he considers to be the finest expression of this variety – an iconic Chenin Blanc and a challenge to the world. The newly released 2019 vintage is the 20th of the Ken Forrester FMC.
After two decades of FMC, Ken Forrester is widely regarded as Mr Chenin and the FMC has firmly established itself as a global icon. Experimentation and innovation has been a cornerstone of Ken Forrester’s winemaking. In fact, the trials to produce a flagship, wooded Chenin Blanc started in 1997, but the first FMC was only bottled in 2000. Today the FMC presents a neat balance between embracing technology and expressing the essence of old vines Chenin Blanc from the lower slopes of Stellenbosch’s Helderberg region, with minimum intervention.
Meticulous care goes into the careful selection of up to 10 harvests in two low yielding old vineyards (planted in 1970 and 1974) in Stellenbosch. The different pickings are based on NDVI imaging, which provides information about vineyard vigor so that the bunches can be picked at their peak.
Individual parcels are naturally fermented in French oak, about 50% new, and aged for a year in barrel on the lees.
The golden thread of this wine has always been that it is rich and layered, with dried apricot, vanilla and honey.