Elevate your cellar with the legendary Testalonga El Bandito ‘Skin’ Chenin Blanc 2025. Visionary winemakers Craig and Carla Hawkins deliver absolute mastery in this iconic bottling, a wine that holds a revered status worldwide. First released in 2008, this cuvée established the Testalonga label as a true vanguard of the global orange wine movement.

Vintage Highlights

• Exceptional freshness: The 2025 growing season was defined by clarity and vibrancy.

• Structural balance: Immaculate poise ensures both immediate appeal and long‑term aging potential.

• Historic bush vines: Plentiful winter rainfall energized the Paardeberg’s old vines, producing grapes with remarkable natural acidity and lower pH levels.

• Extended lees aging: Craig Hawkins lengthened the gross lees program by six to seven months, imparting luxurious texture while maintaining laser‑like precision.

Tasting Notes: One of the benchmark skin-contact Chenins from the Swartland, El Bandito Skin 2025 is beautifully expressive while remaining remarkably refined. The nose opens with preserved lemon, dried apricot, orange peel and yellow apple, layered with rooibos tea, chamomile, wild herbs and crushed stone. Gentle skin contact adds texture rather than overt tannin, giving the wine grip without sacrificing freshness. The palate is vibrant and energetic, with saline minerality and bright natural acidity driving flavours of citrus zest, quince and orchard fruit. The finish is long, savoury and gently phenolic, leaving notes of dried herbs and subtle spice. A wine that rewards both contemplation and the dinner table, showcasing Craig Hawkins' signature balance between purity, texture and drinkability

Food Pairing: The textured, gently phenolic nature of El Bandito Skin 2025 makes it one of the most versatile food wines in South Africa. Its vibrant acidity cuts effortlessly through rich dishes, while the subtle grip from skin contact complements roasted meats, oily fish and earthy vegetables without overpowering them. It shines alongside grilled kingklip with burnt butter and capers, yellowtail sashimi, salmon crudo or roast chicken with lemon and thyme, where the wine's citrus-driven freshness enhances every bite. Vegetarian dishes such as roasted cauliflower with tahini, butternut risotto with sage or a fragrant Moroccan vegetable tagine echo the wine's savoury complexity and herbal nuances. It is equally at home with lightly spiced Asian cuisine, particularly dishes featuring ginger, sesame and soy, while mature cheeses such as Comté, Gruyère or aged Gouda beautifully highlight its mineral finish and layered texture. Whether served at lunch or around a long dinner table, this is a wine that effortlessly bridges delicate and richly flavoured dishes.

‘Grapes from a Paardeberg vineyard planted in 1972. 14 days of skin maceration. Hugely complex on nose and palate. Aromatics of honeysuckle, fynbos and ginger before peach and apricot and a hint of beeswax. Excellent concentration, layers of flavour, starting creamy and ending dry and savoury. Alc: 11.5%.CE’s rating: 97 | “Serious” WINEMAG.CO.ZA