Chenin Blanc holds a special place at Dowie Doole, as it was the first wine ever released by the winery. The fruit is sourced from what are believed to be the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in Australia, planted in 1933 and located on the Dowie Vineyard, nestled in the cool, sandy slopes of the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale.

The very cold nights characteristic of Blewitt Springs allow the fruit to achieve full flavour ripeness while retaining its natural acidity. The vineyard’s Maslin Sands soils, rich in large ironstone rocks, contribute a distinct minerality to the wine.

Winemaking influence is kept to a minimum. The fruit is destemmed and immediately pressed into stainless steel tanks, where the juice is settled and racked clean of solids prior to fermentation to preserve the purity of fruit expression. Following fermentation, the wine is aged on lees—8% in old French oak and 92% in stainless steel—with occasional lees stirring to build texture before bottling.

The resulting wine shows a lifted spectrum of fruit, with notes of guava, passionfruit, and citrus. A hallmark Chenin Blanc acid line underpins the palate, providing length, freshness, and excellent potential for ageing.