{"title":"Badenhorst","description":"\u003cp\u003eSwartland means “black land” in Afrikaans, but if you visit this rugged country north of Cape Town you’ll see white, sandy hills and rocky valleys marked with the wild shrubs and herbs they call “Fynbos,” or “fine bush.” If you’re up in the hills before sunset you’ll think the desert-like heat could never fade, but once the sun goes and the wind comes, you’re freezing and wonder how the vines can survive a night, let alone a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNothing here is quite as it seems. That sand, for instance, isn’t sand. It’s decomposed granite, which might not sound so different but matters to the vines. For one thing, decomposed granite holds a lot more water than sand: essential in this drought-prone land. For another, the granite is rich in quartz, iron, mica and other minerals, and the roots dive deep in the granite like they don’t in sand, and all those minerals infuse the wine with character much more complex than the sunny days and even the cold nights alone could promise.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe people too. When you meet Adi Badenhorst and his team it feels like you’ve found the wine party. They have a turntable in the cellar, vintage calendars on the walls, and they don't treat tasting here like going to church or a museum. This is not Bordeaux. Adi built a pizza oven off his winery and winemakers from all over South Africa meet there to drink wine, eat pizza, taste widely, and drink more wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut ask Adi or his team about any of their choices (like why they co-ferment the red varieties rather than blend them, or age the Chenin on the gross lees) after a joke or two you’ll get an answer that is the opposite of glib, the product of years of thought and experimentation. These are hard-won lessons and deeply learned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost of all, it’s the wines themselves. Even Adi’s entry-level bottles, the Secateurs white and red, are first about sheer pleasure. They’re priced like party wines. Pull the cork and you can drink them out of a tumbler. But slow down just a minute and you’ll see something altogether different. Beyond the deliciously forward fruit, these are wines of a particular complexity: granite minerality, the wild herb of the Fynbos. They are finely structured, with acidity that would shock you if you hadn’t been on the hill when the wind picked up and the sun went down.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"badenhorst-kalmoesfontein-white-blend-2022-750ml","title":"Badenhorst, Kalmoesfontein White Blend, 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eEight white varieties from one Swartland farm, rolled into a single jamboree of a wine. Adi Badenhorst sources the Kalmoesfontein White Blend from his home farm in the granite-and-schist hills north of Cape Town, anchoring it on Chenin Blanc (around 45%) and rounding it out with Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Palomino, Viognier, Roussanne, Verdelho and a whisper of Muscat. Fermented in old foudres and aged in concrete for 20 months, the 2022 walks a tightrope between richness and tension: melted candle wax, fynbos and rose petal aromas, then layers of apple, pear and citrus pith. The palate has palpable energy, a chalky-pithy texture and a refined, orange-rind-tinged finish. Classic, complete Cape white from one of the Swartland's most original voices.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MS Walker [MSW]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45837003653177,"sku":"NYC-MSW-`470973`-051226-3","price":57.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0125\/1518\/0601\/files\/Badenhorst-Kalmoesfontein-White-Blend-2022-White-Wine-Flatiron-Wines-Spirits-New-York.jpg?v=1778683683"},{"product_id":"badenhorst-ramnasgras-cinsault-2023-750ml","title":"Badenhorst, Ramnasgras Cinsault, 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eA love letter to old Cinsault from one of the Swartland's most original voices. Adi Badenhorst's Ramnasgras pulls 100% Cinsault from a tiny single vineyard of bush vines planted in 1964 on decomposed granite, southeast-facing and just over a hectare and a half. Whole bunches go into seasoned wooden vats with a single daily pump-over, then the wine settles into large foudre for a year. The result reads like Cinsault's best self: thyme, rosemary, tea leaf, lavender, olive and brambleberry on the nose, a silky medium-bodied palate that feels weightless rather than light, and a long, charming finish. Not a high-acid wine, but unmistakably fresh — a Cape red of finesse over force, in conversation with old-school Provence and the Loire as much as with Swartland.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MS Walker [MSW]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45837003718713,"sku":"NYC-MSW-`470976`-051226-5","price":62.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0125\/1518\/0601\/files\/Badenhorst-Ramnasgras-Cinsault-2023-Red-Wine-Flatiron-Wines-Spirits-New-York.jpg?v=1778683686"},{"product_id":"badenhorst-secateurs-red-blend-2024-750ml","title":"Badenhorst, Secateurs Red Blend, 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom Adi Badenhorst's old-vine playground in South Africa's Swartland comes the red counterpart to his beloved Secateurs Chenin. This is a Rhone-inspired blend built around Shiraz with the granite-soil character of the Paardeberg foothills baked right in. Adi farms gnarly old bush vines and works with a light hand in the cellar, so the wine comes across as juicy, peppery, and honest rather than heavy or polished. It's the everyday red the Swartland does so well: full of dark berry fruit, a little wild garrigue, and a fresh, savory snap. Pour it without overthinking it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MS Walker [MSW]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45958845694009,"sku":"NYC-MSW-`470972`-061526-2","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0125\/1518\/0601\/files\/Badenhorst-Secateurs-Red-Blend-2024-Red-Wine-Flatiron-Wines-Spirits-New-York.jpg?v=1781707755"},{"product_id":"badenhorst-secateurs-chenin-2025-750ml","title":"Badenhorst, Secateurs Chenin, 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdi Badenhorst is one of the wild hearts of South Africa's Swartland, working old bush-vine vineyards on the granite slopes of the Paardeberg from a cellar he rescued and brought back to life. Secateurs is his everyday Chenin Blanc, but don't let 'everyday' fool you, because few wines this affordable taste this complete. The fruit comes from gnarly old vines rooted in decomposed granite, and the wine rests on its lees in old barrels and big foudres, which adds texture without any oaky flavor. The result is fresh and saline with orchard fruit, a little waxy depth, and serious drinkability. This is the bottle to keep on hand all summer long.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MS Walker [MSW]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45958846054457,"sku":"NYC-MSW-`470970`-061526-3","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0125\/1518\/0601\/files\/Badenhorst-Secateurs-Chenin-2025-White-Wine-Flatiron-Wines-Spirits-New-York.jpg?v=1781707756"}],"url":"https:\/\/nyc.flatiron-wines.com\/collections\/badenhorst.oembed","provider":"Flatiron Wines \u0026 Spirits NYC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}