Colour:
2026 Florentine is a luminous pale straw with a striking, vivid green hue.
Aroma:
The aroma bursts with a vibrant, inviting bouquet of juicy green apple, quince, and delicate chamomile tea, underscored by a bright lift of fresh lime citrus.
Palate:
This youthful freshness carries seamlessly onto a beautiful palate defined by lively, crunchy orchard fruits. A fine line of minerality is balanced beautifully by a subtly creamy texture, lending the wine immense poise and class as layered notes of white stone fruit and structural citrus pith extend through an exceptionally long, refined finish.
Recommended Drinking:
Delightful in its youth, it possesses the impeccable balance to reward careful cellaring for a decade or more.
The grapes were harvested in the cool of the early morning on March 11th. Following gentle pressing, the juice was briefly settled and racked before undergoing a temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks for ten days. After maturation on light lees for three months to enhance texture, the wine was bottled while young and fresh to fully capture and retain its utmost vibrancy.
Vintage 2026 was shaped by contrast, delivering wines of depth, balance and character. A slightly above-average Winter and Spring replenished soil moisture and set up healthy vine growth, before one of the driest, warmest Summers on record drove concentration in the fruit. Perfectly timed rainfall at the end of February refreshed the vines ahead of ripening, while mild, steady conditions through March and April allowed for even development and extended hang time. Yields were down around 25%, but quality is excellent, with perfumed whites and rosé, and deeply coloured, structured reds showing richness, purity and hallmark Kalleske balance
Florentine is sourced from a single vineyard of Chenin Blanc on the Kalleske property, planted in 1988. These mature, low-yielding vines thrive in shallow sand over a structural clay subsoil, a combination that naturally limits yields and imparts distinct concentration and character to the fruit.