Sensational New Releases from Pieter Walser's BLANKbottle!
In the small community of South Africa's premium artisan winemakers, Pieter Walser is a legend, crafting a perplexingly large array of small batch wines, each with their own unique story, style and character.
While Pieter makes over 40 individual wines each year, only a few hundred cases in total make their way to the United States. We are proud that most of those cases end up on the tables of Vin Chicago shoppers.
In recent months, two members of the Vin Chicago team, including our Elston Avenue store's Michael Torrey, made the pilgrimage to taste Pieter's new releases in Cape Town. Vibrant, pure, and each displaying its own unique character, the wines are awesome!
Today, we give you the exclusive opportunity to acquire five of these wines on a pre-arrival basis. Thanks to the continued strength of the dollar relative to the rand, we are able to bring you these gorgeous cult wines for prices that are a FRACTION of what they should be based on how high-quality they are!
Read on for the great stories behind each of these wines, then SMASH DOWN on the Big Green Button to get your order in!
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Pieter's Porch Pounder!
2023 BLANKbottle "Moment of Silence" White Blend
Wellington, Western Cape, South Africa
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This is a ripping good Chenin Blanc with a little Viognier thrown in for weight and texture. The juicy peach and lemon rind flavors on this immensely delicious white practically beg to be eaten with some hard cheese! With tremendous acidity and a beautiful hint of waxiness, this also has the depth to pair up great with fish or chicken, or to enjoy all on its own.
There's a really clean minerality here that perfectly balances out the roundness. This wine is the complete package, and being able to bring it to you for under $20 is absolutely BONKERS. We've been obsessed with South African Chenin Blanc for quite some time now, and this new release of "Moment of Silence" makes that infatuation even stronger!
There are no listings in the United States for ANY vintage of this wine. Median online retail across the world is $27. Our special pre-arrival price makes this an absolute steal.
Pre-Arrival Price: 19.99
Straight from the Winemaker's Brain!
2023 BLANKbottle "Orbitofrontal Cortex" White Blend
Western Cape, South Africa
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The story of this wine is one that longtime Vin Chicago customers have heard before, but it's so cool that we'll tell it again. Ten years ago, a chance meeting on an airplane found Pieter connected with a company that uses brain waves, heart rate, and other physiological measurements to help companies do consumer research. Intrigued, Pieter agreed to have his brain wired up while tasting samples during a blending session. The tasting was done, the measurements were tabulated and a blend was made based on his subconscious response. Interesting, it was completely different from the blend Pieter made based on his conscious thoughts.
Pieter combined the two blends, and Orbitofrontal Cortex was born. It was a HUGE hit, and ever since has been his most popular wine. (And a massive customer favorite!)
Laden with distinct flavors of stone fruit, Anjou pear, lemon curd and white blossoms, this just-released 2023 bottling is a tremendous bottle of wine. Hints of fresh-squeezed oranges and recently extracted beeswax add complexity, while vibrant minerality and racy acidity lend pizzazz.
Orbitofrontal Cortex is always the wine that sells out first when we do BLANKbottle offerings, and for great reason. This is one of the coolest wines we offer, and the price is fantastic.
As with the previous wine, there are no listings in the United States for this bottling. Looking across the planet, we found four prices with a median of $39. Our pre-arrival price is a full 41% less. Click fast to get in on this one, and maybe grab a magnum or two as well!
Pre-Arrival Price: 22.99
Also available in 1.5 liter magnum bottles!
A Counter-Revolutionary Cabernet!
2021 BLANKbottle "B.I.G." Cabernet Blend
Western Cape, South Africa
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The past decades have seen a revolution in South African winemaking fashion, with Rhône varietals from Swartland becoming popular, and the Bordeaux-style wines that had long been the country's most sought after, falling by the wayside.
A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Shiraz, Pieter's "B.I.G." is an effort to counter this trend by demonstrating just how great a South African Bordeaux blend can be when thoughtfully and ambitiously crafted.
The result is an unctuous and ready-to-rip Cabernet-driven red that is loaded with dark, ripe flavors of blackberry and blueberry bundled with a subtle-yet-definitive herbaceousness that give impressive depth with every sip.
Looking online we could not find even a single listing any where on the planet for this 240 case production blend. Median online price for the previous vintage is $41. Our pre-arrival price absolutely blows that into the weeds!
Pre-Arrival Price: 22.99
A Cinsault to Drink or Cellar!
2023 BLANKbottle "My Köffer" Cinsault
Breedekloof, South Africa
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As a college kid back in 1994, Cinsault was the first varietal Pieter ever fell in love with. Fast forward to 2025, and this bottling has made us fall in love with the grape all over again!
Pieter produces only a few hundred cases each year of this 100% Cinsault from the Breedekloof region. Leading with a deep and rich strawberry flavor, the 2023 "My Köffer" boasts oodles of star anise, a hint of baking spice, and a charming nuance of grilled venison.
This is a racy, juicy red that demands your full attention, and earns it every step of the way. We revisited our sample bottle over the course of a week and were met with a familiar and inviting aroma of strawberry during all seven days - a sign that this bottle has a long life ahead of it.
As with all of today's wines, there are no listings for this in the United States. Looking across the world, we did find six listings for the previous vintage, with a median of $32.
Pre-Arrival Price: 24.99
Also available in 1.5 liter magnum bottles!
Pieter Walser's Sexy Black Bottle!
2022 BLANKbottle "ISA 42" Merlot
Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
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We're VERY excited to be featuring this 100% Merlot for the very first time! Without a doubt, this was the star of the show when we tasted through nearly two dozen of Pieter's new releases, and we think you'll adore it just as we have.
This is only Pieter's third vintage making ISA-42 since he put the bottling on hiatus almost twenty years ago, and he has really nailed it.
We got gorgeous notes of blueberry pie and freshly-bloomed violets along with a saline finish that is absolutely eye-popping. Wrapped up with fine, velvety tannins and a silky, sexy mouthfeel, Pieter has crafted a thing of absolute beauty with this one! The label for this wine is in the original style that Pieter used when he got started back in 2003, created using Microsoft Word. We think you're going to LOVE it!
Looking online we found one listing in Germany and two in the UK, with a median of $43. Our price blows them all away!
Pre-Arrival Price: 25.99
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