Los Tros Chenin Blanc

£13.79

£18.39 per litre · incl. 20% VAT

In Stock — Limited Availability

Swartland Chenin Blanc with proper character: ripe pear and stone fruit, a lick of barrel-ferment texture, and that bright Paardeberg minerality running right through. Made by one of the Cape's most exciting young winemakers, this is fresh, food-friendly and full of personality. A brilliant introduction to where South African white wine is heading right now.

Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.

Region

Swartland, South Africa

Grape

Chenin Blanc

Oak

Los Tros Chenin Blanc, Marras: the grapes are handpicked and treated to both tank and barrel fermentation

Drinking Window

Drinking beautifully now and over the next 4-5 years — Swartland Chenin from Paardeberg sites typically rewards a few years in bottle. Serve well-chilled at 8-12Â°C in a medium-bowled white-wine glass.

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Our Verdict

We tasted a lot of Swartland Chenin before picking this one, and Los Tros stood out for its balance. Plenty of producers reach for power or oak; Martin Lamprecht reaches for clarity, and you can taste it in every sip. There's a quiet precision here that punches well above the £14 mark, with the kind of texture you usually pay twice as much for. Perfect for the curious drinker who's outgrown supermarket Sauvignon and wants to see what genuinely exciting South African white wine looks like in 2026. A small-production label, so when it's gone, it's gone.

Tasting Notes

Pear and white peach lead the nose, with a subtle waxy lanolin note that signals proper Swartland Chenin. The palate is round and gently textured from time on lees, but there's real cut underneath: bright apple acidity, a saline mineral streak from those Paardeberg granite soils, and a whisper of toasted nut from the barrel portion. The finish is crisp and clean, leaving you reaching for another sip rather than another wine.

About This Wine

If you've been wondering what the fuss is about Swartland Chenin, start here. Los Tros is the wine that converts sceptics: ripe yellow pear, white peach and a whisper of honeysuckle, all kept honest by the kind of stony, saline freshness only old Paardeberg vines deliver. It's generous without being heavy, textured without losing its nerve. The magic happens in the cellar. Hand-picked grapes are split between stainless steel and old barrels, fermented gently, then left to rest on their lees for six months. Steel keeps the fruit crunchy and bright; the barrel portion adds a soft, creamy weight across the middle of the palate. The result is a Chenin that drinks beautifully on its own but really comes alive at the table. Marras is a small label led by Martin Lamprecht, a young winemaker who cut his teeth at Cederberg and the Rhône before settling in the Swartland, the region currently rewriting South Africa's white-wine playbook. His touch is light, his fruit sourcing is sharp, and the wines speak clearly of their place. Reach for it with a summer mezze board, herby roast chicken, a goat's cheese salad, or grilled white fish with lemon. Serve well-chilled at 8-12°C. We deliver across the UK, usually within a few working days, and it makes a thoughtful gift for any Chenin lover or anyone curious about what the Cape is doing next.

Food Pairing

Built for the kind of relaxed eating that suits a Swartland white. Try it with a mezze spread of hummus, charred flatbreads and marinated olives, or a simple platter of cold cuts and pickles. It's also brilliant with grilled white fish, a creamy goat's cheese on toast, or a Thai green curry where the lees-driven roundness handles the heat.

—Mezze platter with hummus, baba ganoush and warm flatbreads
—Grilled sea bass with lemon and herbs
—Roast chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche
—Goat's cheese tart with caramelised onion
—Thai green curry with prawns

Behind the Wine

Swartland whites live and die by the swing between cool and warm seasons, and the Paardeberg's granite slopes are what keep this Chenin honest. Even in hotter years, ocean breezes funnel inland and night temperatures drop sharply, locking in the natural acidity that gives the wine its lift. Marras picks early and selectively, so what lands in the cellar is fruit that tastes of pear and stone fruit without ever tipping into heaviness. The result is a Chenin that feels bright and linear rather than broad.

Ageing Potential

Drinking beautifully right now, but Swartland Chenin from Paardeberg sites rewards patience. Cellar for another four to five years and you'll see the lees character deepen into honeyed richness while the acidity holds the whole thing together.

The Land

The fruit comes from the Paardeberg, a granite outcrop rising out of the Swartland plain. Those decomposed granite soils drain hard and force vines to dig deep, which gives the Chenin its mineral backbone and tight focus. Add elevation, cool nights, and ocean influence, and you get a wine with energy as well as ripeness.

The Winemaking

The grapes are picked by hand, then split between stainless steel tank and old oak barrels for fermentation. That dual approach is the trick here: tank preserves the crisp pear and citrus snap, while the barrel portion adds texture and quiet complexity. Six months on the lees follows, building a round, almost creamy mouthfeel without sacrificing the wine's freshness. There's no heavy-handed oak, no winemaking flourish for its own sake. Just careful guidance from grape to glass.

The Swartland Region

Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.

About the Producer

Marras

Marras is the project of Martin Lamprecht, a young winemaker with a CV that punches above his years. He cut his teeth at Cederberg under David Nieuwoudt, then took a detour through the Rhone before setting up shop in the Swartland, the region where South Africa's most curious winemakers go to experiment. Martin sources from old parcels on the Paardeberg and the elevated slopes of Piekenierskloof, coaxing out site-specific character with minimal intervention. He describes his job as taking the grapes by the hand and guiding them where they want to go. It sounds modest, but the wines are anything but. Marras is small, sharp, and very much one to watch.

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