Baby Bandito Keep on Punching Testalonga 2021

Bandito Keep on Punching Testalonga, Chenin blanc, fresh, natural. The Chenin vines for Keep on Punching were originally planted in 1972, on a block that Craig has worked with previously, and it always gives very small clusters that are full of concentration and a high natural acidity. The soil is very exposed (lots of rocks) and this comes through in the backbone of the wines. The Chenin is whole bunch pressed and fermented in 2000 litre stainless tanks and follows the natural pattern of no yeast (or other) inoculation or additives apart from a small amount of SO2 shortly before bottling. A pure style of Chenin, balancing “nerve” and white flesh fruit character.

Craig Hawkins is a young winemaker based in the Swartland, South Africa, where he rents about 11ha of vineyard.

Having travelled extensively throughout Europe, and then worked as wine maker for Lammershoek, he now makes makes a huge variety of different wines under his own Testalonga label. Each vintage is experimental and we think they're getting better each year. These are beautiful natural hand-crafted wines from low yielding vines, wild ferments and nothing added except a little SO2 at bottling in some but not all the wines.