#are we all in agreement that life in the ph sucks

[thewhizzyhead]

when i logged on to twitch to watch tapl play crab game while having my brunch, i was not expecting for twitch chat's topic of the day to be about inflation rates and mass transportation in the philippines and how much life SUCKS here but hey here we are

[panvani]

I would love some Leo thoughts, if you dont mind! <3

How I feel about this character

REALLY FUCKING FUNNY. MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DOOMER OTAKU PROPHET MASTER WHO TAKES PLEASURE IN WATCHING ME GAMBLE MY LIFE’S SAVINGS FOR A GACHA JPG

Ultimately I have less to say abt most of the child characters in PH but there’s a lot to say abt how Leo relates to Glen as an entity... the thing is Lacie Knew that in order for society to be restructured to no longer isolate Abyss/to end the oppression of the Children of Ill Omen Glen would need to incarnate without being directly cursed by Jury... meaning that she knew her brother would need to be killed/the Baskervilles destroyed..................... but that’s about Lacie

Mostly he was a traumatized child who was WAY in over his head and like Vincent unreasonably believed that it would be better for his loved ones to have never met him at all than to suffer his existence. Which is why their relationship is so important lol (and why I’m honestly more invested in Vincent and Leo’s relationship than Leo and Elliot’s... we love it when characters are foils)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Elliot tho I’m not really an ElliLeo person I think ultimately the point w their relationship was that Leo’s complete inability to function without Elliot around was... a problem. And actually this is something I can talk about in my controversial opinions section

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I used to not care about Vincent and Leo’s relationship much but now I think about it a lot it’s so so so good that they’re friends who love each other very much it is literally the funniest shit ever

Their relationship reminds me of Oz and Echo’s in a lot of ways in that they both felt as though they were in the same boat except in this case the two of them made an agreement to actively hack at the base of the ship while it was in the open ocean. Their relationship is Leo going hey wait if we keep doing this Vincent is going to die and I kind of love him actually and this would suck

It’s actually ultimately all words to VINCENT that gets through to Leo, ironically, because he understands Vincent as someone very similar to himself. And while none of these things really got through to Vincent because he finds himself to be fundamentally unworthy of existence it got through to Leo because it allowed him to recontextualize his feelings to be about someone else who he genuinely cared about. It’s good I’ve been thinking abt them a lot recently

My unpopular opinion about this character

ElliLeo is not a bad ship if you ship it that is fine I think it was the least evil outcome for being by far the most popular PH ship. However a LOT of ElliLeo stuff romanticizes Leo’s obsession and emotional dependency on Elliot despite Leo’s arc being about learning to actually see value in his own life outside of his worth to others.

That also comes back to the Glen thing (you see it most strongly in Gil) because the whole process is to convince the person in question they shouldn’t be allowed agency or allowed to want things for themselves. They’re all very deliberately taught that they have no worth outside of their “Master” (when first taught this it’s Glen [as the mouthpiece of the Jury] but the clear implication is that it eventually switches to the Jury itself) because it’s easy to continue the self destructive, oppressive structures Glen is made to enforce if Glen feels he has no power to end them. This feeling still exists without the Jury’s direct intervention, though, because of how being Glen also attracts misfortune to one’s person. Leo sooner convinced himself he was insane than start meaningful conflict with Elliot because he felt he had no place as an active participant in his reality.

And then there’s the whole matter of Leo’s feelings for Elliot being compared to Vincent’s feelings for Gil ad NO. LEO’S FEELINGS FOR ELLIOT WERE NOT UNHEALTHY ON THE LEVEL THAT VINCENT’S FEELINGS FOR GIL WERE, but the point being made on the whole is that obsession with another person without any sort of self worth is analogous to suicide. Ultimately, Leo’s love for Elliot came from a genuine respect and admiration for him as a person, and I don’t want to imply that it’s on the level of Vincent’s feelings for Gil, which are themselves an act of self harm. It’s just... the very obvious conclusion trying to be communicated is that Leo’s obsession with Elliot after his death was unhealthy and self destructive.

Elliot and Leo’s relationship definitely wasn’t inherently unhealthy. It was built on mutual respect and admiration and a desire to see the other and be treated as an equal. I just really hate the way the fandom romanticizes Leo’s dependence on Elliot when it’s something the narrative very deliberately condemns.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Wish Leo and Vincent had been shown to actually interact a few more times than they were because their relationship is incredibly important to the both of them but they get like 3 really really intense conversations and nothing else

[imnotinclinedtomaturity]

Love Yourself (Chapter 22)

title: Love Yourself summary: A lot of things about Dan’s life are pretty great. He gets to make the music he wants, he’s got a great fanbase, and his manager is his best friend. A few things about his life suck a bit more. He’s currently lacking inspiration, he’s rather lonely, and he’s stuck in a rut. Dan’s been going to the same coffee shop for years. It’s quiet, it’s quaint, it’s near his home. Most importantly: none of the employees give a shit that’s he a world-famous singer. Things change when he meets the new barista. chapter words: 9.1k story words: 176.6k (so far) chapter: 22/? rating: m warnings: language, alcohol, sex mentions, some bi/homophobia, eventual explicit smut genre: singer!dan, coffee shop au, barista!phil, slow burn [[ao3]] [[first chapter]] [[previous chapter]]

a/n: as always, a lovely thanks to @auroraphilealis for pushing me to the best i can, for pulling another 3k out of me and this chapter, and for making the editing process fun. i love you boo <3

important: i know some of my fave readers of this fic are ace and not so into smut, so going forward, i’m going to try to remember to put skippable explicit smut between ~*~*~*~* breaks for them. sorry if this is annoying for anyone else!!!

Dan woke up to the gentle brushing of fingertips up and down his bare back, the quiet thump thump, thump thump of a heart directly under his head, and the rise and fall of a stomach under his arm. Despite his sleepy brain, it didn’t take Dan more than a minute to remember who he was in bed with — who he was practically laying on top of.

Phil.

After months of dreaming, wanting, lusting, Dan had finally gotten to be with Phil last night. And holy shit, it was somehow even better than he’d imagined. Phil had been — and still was — sweet and caring, and months of friendship just seemed to heighten everything.

Eager to prolong the warm cuddles as long as possible, Dan kept his eyes shut, and tried to keep his breathing as even as possible.

It seemed to work. The room stayed silent, with the exception of Phil’s steady heartbeat, and Phil stayed still beneath Dan.

“I know you’re awake, Daniel,” Phil whispered, his hand not stopping its calming movement along Dan’s spine.

Fuck.

Disgruntled at being caught, Dan buried his face into Phil’s chest with a groan. “No ‘m not,” he mumbled, his voice muffled against Phil.

“Mmmm,” Phil hummed. He didn’t sound like he believed Dan. “Whatever you say, dear.”

“Shhhh,” Dan hushed. He was struggling to decide if he wanted to will himself back to sleep, or stay awake so he could savor laying in Phil’s arms.

His mind decided for him, though. Apparently, it was too happy about being this close to Phil to shut up long enough for him to doze off again.

“How did y’know?” Dan murmured when he’d given up on more sleep.

“Know what?” Phil asked.

“That I was ‘wake.”

“Oh.” Phil’s spare hand, the one that wasn’t tracing lines on Dan’s back, nudged the fingers of the hand that Dan had looped around Phil’s torso. “Your grip on me tightened.”

“Damn,” Dan cursed, even as he squeezed Phil in a hug for a moment. “How long’ve y’been awake?”

“I think about half an hour.”

“You could’ve gotten up if y’wanted to,” Dan half-heartedly offered, even though he would have been extremely disappointed — and worried — if he’d woken up and Phil hadn’t been in bed with him.

Phil pressed a kiss to the top of Dan’s head. “I didn’t want to.”

Dan felt his cheeks heat up, and let out a high, flustered whine. “Phiw!”

Phil giggled, his hand slipping around Dan’s waist to give him a firm hug.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Phil sounded like he genuinely cared. Nearly a year of dating Isabella had made Dan forget what it was like to have a partner that was concerned about his well being.

“Amazing,” Dan sighed. He took inventory of his body, noticing how relaxed his muscles felt, and that there was a spot on his neck that felt more tender than usual. He was also rapidly growing aware of the fact that his stomach and chest, as well as Phil’s, were sticky with the remnants of dried cum that they’d only made half an effort to wipe away last night. “And gross,” Dan added with a groan.

Phil chuckled, causing his chest to vibrate under Dan’s ear. “Yeah, we didn’t do a good job of cleaning up, huh?”

“Fuck, you’re right,” Dan muttered in agreement. He very deliberately moved his hand further up Phil’s chest to avoid the worst of the remaining mess.

“Do you have plans today?” Phil asked. His fingers resumed their gentle stroking, this time along Dan’s side.

Dan squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember what day it was, much less if he had any plans. It was hard to think about anything other than the fact that he was currently laying in bed with Phil, completely naked.

“I’m seeing Louise t’night,” he said eventually. “And I was planning t’go to the studio, but not ‘nymore.”

“Why not?”

“Tired. Lazy. Comfortable.” While all of those excuses were true, the main reason was that Dan felt entirely too fucked-out and happy after last night to possibly concentrate on music.

Well, that, and he was hoping he could entice Phil into another round.

“In that case,” Phil said slyly. “How about showers, coffee, and then we get back in bed?”

Dan perked up at Phil’s suggestion, propping himself on one elbow so he could “Really?”

“Yeah.” Phil grinned softly at Dan. “I don’t wanna let go of you yet. Not if I don’t have to.”

Dan rose further up, resting his forearm on Phil’s chest and pushing himself so that his face was even with Phil’s. “You’re amazing,” he whispered before closing the gap between them and pressing his lips to Phil’s. Their lips moved languidly together, and Phil’s tongue darted out to lick Dan’s bottom lip. On instinct, Dan’s mouth parted, letting Phil slip inside.

The rushed, desperate urgency from last night was gone, but their touches were no less passionate, no less hot. Their tongues moved together, neither taking control, as they slowly explored each other’s mouths.

Phil pulled Dan away slightly, startling him out of the kiss.

“What?” Dan whined, disgruntled at the interruption.

Phil pulled back, his lips now too far away for Dan to comfortably kiss. “As nice as this is, darling, we’re a mess. If you have spare sheets, I’ll make the bed while you shower.”

As much as Dan appreciated Phil’s offer to be helpful, he had no desire to let Phil out of his sight for a second.

Dan shifted so that he was hovering more directly over Phil and pressed another, faster kiss to Phil’s lips. This time, Dan let his hands trail down Phil’s torso, going all the way to his belly button and doing his best to avoid the remaining mess.

“Or,” Dan murmured against Phil’s lips as he suggestively ran his fingers through the hair that ran downwards, not quite letting his hand drift as far as Phil’s cock. “We could deal with the sheets later and shower together.”

Phil’s head tipped back, his eyes fluttered shut, and a quiet groan tumbled out of his mouth. “I like the way you think, Howell.” Phil’s voice, which had already been scruffy from sleep, dropped an octave and — fuck, that was hot. There was no way Dan was going to be able to get out of bed without sporting a semi.

But the least he could do was make sure Phil was just as riled up as he was.

Fingers trailing farther south to tease at Phil’s cock, Dan pressed a final kiss to Phil’s lips before diverting downward. Last night, Dan had been too drunk on the feeling of finally being with Phil that he hadn’t had the sense to explore Phil’s body — something he very much wanted to do now. Somehow, during just one round of sex, Phil had found so many of Dan’s turn-ons, and Dan was eager to do the same for Phil now.

Curious to see Phil’s reaction, Dan pressed wet, sloppy kisses down Phil’s jaw, looping around to the underside of his chin. All Dan got for his efforts, though, was a small hmmm, which wasn’t quite the enthusiastic reaction that he was looking for. Phil hadn’t been particularly loud last night, and Dan was determined to draw some noises out of him this morning.

Dan worked his way back up Phil’s neck, experimenting as he went. Dan kissed and sucked, and even nipped at Phil’s throat, but none of it got a bigger reaction from Phil. Shifting tactics, Dan worked his way to Phil’s ear.

Curiously, Dan darted his tongue out and licked. The breath that Phil was drawing in caught, his body froze. It was either a great sign or a terrible one, but Dan was fairly confident that Phil liked it.

Without warning, Dan drew Phil’s earlobe into his mouth, and bit lightly. This time, Dan was rewarded with a soft whimper from Phil, and a tight squeeze of his ass. That was a definite improvement.

Good.

Dan wanted more though. Slipping out of Phil’s hold, Dan pushed himself further up, and straddled Phil’s waist, his arse lightly resting on Phil’s cock. Just because he could, Dan rocked his hips down, grinding Phil into him.

Phil’s hands flew to Dan’s hips and gripped tight, squeezing around the bone. The pressure from Phil’s long, nimble fingers was electrifying, and Dan wasn’t sure he’d ever get tired of the way he felt when Phil touched him.

Choosing to ignore the way Phil’s hands tried to pull Dan’s hips down again — at least for now — Dan leaned forward and resumed his exploration of Phil’s body instead.

Phil’s chest was long and pale and — ugh. Covered in dried cum still. Maybe Dan would have to wait until they were actually in the shower after all. Nevertheless, his mouth skimmed over Phil’s clavicles half heartedly for a moment, genuinely disappointed that he couldn’t have more of Phil right now.

Not quite willing to give this up without some kind of teasing, Dan gave into the pressure of Phil’s hands on his hips, and rubbed his arse against Phil’s cock again. Dan’s lips found Phil’s and kissed him hungrily. Their lips found a fast and biting rhythm, and their hips moved together with quick and desperate thrusts.

Dan kissed Phil hard, licking his tongue into the caverns of Phil’s mouth in a way that he hadn’t last night. Phil thrusted up and up, his cock nestled between the bare cheeks of Dan’s arse. It was a welcomed sensation that Dan hadn’t felt in a long time, and he rocked his hips down faster and faster, seeking more of it.

Abruptly, Phil tore his lips from Dan’s and his hips slowed — but didn’t stop — their movements. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said hurriedly against Dan’s cheek, sounding completely winded. “Let’s go before we get carried away.”

Dan hummed quiet agreement, but continued kissing Phil all the same. Dan pointedly ground down, causing Phil’s cock to slide between his cheeks, Dan’s own dick rubbing against Phil’s stomach. Dan’s heavy breathing twisted into a deep, breathy moan.

“Can’t imagine how that would happen,” Dan murmured against Phil’s lips. Phil kissed back hungrily, mumbling something that sounded like screw it.

Shit, fuck.

Dan wanted to shower, though. He wanted to shower with Phil, and he wanted to do it now — especially since now he wouldn’t have to be the only one to crawl out of bed with a raging erection.

This time, Dan was the one who unexpectedly pulled away from the kiss, leaving Phil gasping for breath and desperate for more.

Satisfied with the mess he’d made of Phil, Dan unabashedly threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, making his way to the en suite bathroom. “Okay, now we can go,” he said. As he pushed the door open, though, Dan realized that Phil wasn’t following behind him.

Turning around, Dan saw that Phil was still on the bed, staring after Dan. Now that the blankets were gone, Dan had a stellar view of Phil — all of Phil.

Although Dan would never admit it, he’d gone on a few deep tumblr dives in the AmazingPhil tag, and he’d noticed that one of the popular fan theories said that Phil was packing. When Dan had first seen the consensus, he hadn’t been able to help hoping it was true.

And now that Dan had seen, had touched, Phil while he was naked and hard, Dan could confirm those headcannons with absolute certainty.

Tongue darting out to lick his lips, Dan trailed his eyes up from Phil’s thick cock to his face. “You coming?”

“Yeah,” Phil said, shaking his head as he if were pulling himself out of his thoughts. “Just enjoying the view.” His eyes raked up and down Dan’s naked body again, not bothering to hide the way he lingered on Dan’s cock for a beat longer than the rest of his body. The blatant lust in Phil’s eyes calmed any self-conscious fears that Dan would have had, and he just felt sexy under Phil’s gaze.

“You can enjoy it a lot better if you come shower with me, nerd,” Dan teased.

“Touché.” Phil climbed out of bed and followed after Dan.

In the bathroom, Dan fiddled with the shower tap, turning the water on as hot as he dared without risking burning them. While he waited for the water to warm up, he moved to the mirror to inspect just how bad the damage from last night really was.

As he suspected, there was an angry red, beautiful hickey blossoming on his neck, just below his jaw.

“Guess I’m definitely telling Louise tonight, then,” Dan chuckled, touching the mark and watching it darken in the mirror.

Phil stepped behind him, slipping his arms around Dan’s waist and pulling him close against his chest. Phil’s head came to rest on Dan’s shoulder, and his eyes met Dan’s in the mirror.

“Sorry about that,” Phil apologized, not sounding apologetic in the slightest.

“I’m not,” Dan smiled, dropping his hand and lacing his fingers over Phil’s. “It felt really fucking good.”

“Oh did it?” Phil teased, a mischievous glint in his eye. He winked at Dan — well, more like aggressively blinked — and turned his head so that he could kiss Dan’s neck. “I couldn’t tell,” he murmured against Dan’s skin, the vibrations of his low voice shooting down Dan’s spine and straight to his cock.

Proving both of their points, Dan’s head tipped back to land on Phil’s shoulder, and a low whine escaped his mouth.

“I don’t —” he gasped, futilely trying to maintain an ounce of his composure. “—usually like that.”

Phil’s lips stilled against Dan’s neck, frozen in their pilgrimage to tint the whole expanse red. “What do you mean?”

“My neck,” Dan gasped, still trying to regain control of his breath. “I don’t usually let people touch it.”

Much to Dan’s disappointment, Phil’s lips drew back, and he straightened up. “Sorry.” This time Phil did sound sincere. “You should have told me to stop.”

“No!” Dan nearly shouted. His eyes sprung open, and sought Phil’s in the mirror. “I like it with you.”

Showing Phil just how much he liked it, Dan wrapped a hand in Phil’s hair and guided his head back to his neck. Phil pressed a few tentative kisses along Dan’s collarbone, inching slightly upward to what only barely counted as Dan’s neck.

“I swear,” Dan promised. “It feels really fucking good, Phil.” Dan’s assurance was swallowed by a low mewl as Phil nipped lightly at his skin. “Fuck, seriously,” he added as a breathily afterthought.

“Why haven’t you liked it with other people, then?” Phil sounded confused, and maybe still a little worried.

Dan shrugged, inadvertently jostling Phil’s head. “It —” Dan cut himself off, not sure the truth would be too much right now.

Phil glanced forward, meeting Dan’s eyes in the mirror before looking back down at Dan’s neck and pressing soft, encouraging kisses into his shoulder. “It what?” Phil prompted gently.

“It always felt too intimate,” Dan said as casually as he could while Phil’s lips were still right there.

Seemingly encouraged by Dan’s words, Phil moved higher on Dan’s neck and sucked lightly at his pulse point. “But it’s not with me?”

Dan had half a mind to think that Phil was both curious and smug.

“No, it’s great with you,” Dan assured him. His voice came out hushed, almost like he was afraid to break the delicate mood that had been created. The intimate mood — fuck that was new. And good.

In response, Phil properly latched onto Dan’s neck and began sucking a new hickey into the patterns. “Good,” Phil muttered into Dan’s neck, the vibrations of his voice sending tingles through Dan’s neck and all the way down to his stomach. “I’m glad.”

“Me t-too,” Dan stuttered, a smile pulling at his lips despite how fucking turned on he was by everything. Phil seemed to be taking immense satisfaction in the fact that he could pleasure Dan in a way other’s couldn’t, and that knowledge was affecting both Dan’s mind and his cock.

In the mirror, Dan let his eyes drift from where they’d been trained on Phil’s mouth on his neck upwards, taking in the rest of his reflection. His chest had a red flush to it, and his pupils were blown wide, and —

What the fuck.

Ripping away from Phil, Dan abruptly leaned in closer to the mirror to get a better look at himself.

“Is that cum in my hair?” Dan squeaked. His hand flew up to touch the stiff, almost crusty, pearly mess in the curls on the side of his head.

Over his shoulder, Phil looked chagrined; his hands flew up to hide his rapidly reddening cheeks and he let out a high pitch squeal.

“Philip Michael Lester!” Dan squawked, abruptly turning around to properly face Phil. Dan grabbed Phil’s wrists and pulled them down so that he could see Phil’s face. “How the fuck did you get cum in my hair last night? You weren’t anywhere near there!”

“Er,” Phil’s gaze was focused behind Dan, seemingly on the toiletries that were lined up neatly on the counter. “I suppose there might have still been, um, some, on my hand last night.”

Dan’s brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to remember what exactly had happened last night. He remembered having an amazing orgasm, and Phil coming at almost the exact same time. He remembered Phil stroking both of their cocks and working them through their orgasms. And he remembered Phil’s hands tangling in his hair when they were both spent.

Oh.

Dan’s cheeks flushed red as he processed what must have happened last night — and how he must have looked curled up on Phil’s chest this morning.

“You’re ridiculous,” Dan said with an uncontrollably wide grin. As much of a pain as cum was to get out of hair, Dan couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed about it. It was objectively filthy, but not necessarily in a bad way. It complimented the hickey well, anyway.

Besides, it’d been a long time since he’d been covered in cum other than his own.

“Come on,” Phil pulled him by the hand towards the shower. “It’s my fault it’s there. I’ll get it out for you.”

The water was warm, and the shower was already full of steam by the time they stepped in. Phil didn’t waste any time in pushing Dan under the spray and searching for the shampoo, apparently eager to fix the mess of Dan’s hair.

Phil fumbled with the bottle and squirted a glob into his hands. Between his hands, Phil worked the shampoo into a bubbly lather before spreading it into Dan’s hair. Long fingers drew careful circles into Dan’s head, massaging his scalp and tangling in his hair.

Other than his hairdresser, and maybe his mother when he was about five, Dan had never had someone else wash his hair and jesus, he’d had no idea what he was missing.

“Mmm,” Dan sighed contentedly, and leaned in slightly to the pressure of Phil’s hands. It was too heavenly to resist.

A quiet, amused chuckle bubbled out of Phil. “Do you like that?” he asked knowingly.

“It’s amazing,” Dan murmured. He let his eyes fall shut, and looped his arms loosely around Phil’s waist, leaving enough space between them that Phil could still comfortably reach his head.

Phil’s hands paid special attention to the mess on the side of Dan’s head and took care to thoroughly wash his hair. Slowly, Phil’s hands continued their soothing ministrations, shifting to the back, then the top, and then the sides again, over and over. Time seemed to fade away as Dan melted into the soft intimacy of Phil taking care of him, and the slight tugging at his hair.

“Come here,” Phil whispered after a while, gently guiding Dan’s head back under the stream of water. With great care, Phil washed the shampoo out of Dan’s hair, and made sure none of the bubbles dripped down onto his face.

It wasn’t until the pressure of Phil’s hands disappeared that Dan opened his eyes again, prepared to complain about the sudden lack of attention. In front of him, though, Phil was pouring an obscene amount of body wash onto Dan’s loofah.

Phil set the bottle back down on the shelf and pulled Dan forward, out of the direct stream of the water. “Here,” Phil said softly. “Let’s get your chest clean, too.”

“That’s kind of my fault,” Dan half-heartedly chuckled. He had no real desire to derail Phil’s intentions to wash him; Dan’s goals for the shower could wait.

“I’d say it’s at least half mine.” Phil smirked.

Dan wasn’t sure what Phil meant was half his — the fault or the mess — but Dan was happy they shared it either way.

Phil reached out, and tenderly rubbed the loofah in circles on Dan’s chest. Phil started high, the loofah dipping into the divots of Dan’s collarbones, and slowly worked his way down towards Dan’s belly button.

It felt heavenly, being taken care of like this. Never once had Dan been in a relationship where someone had paid this much careful attention to him, especially this early on. He’d always been the person to take care of his partner, the person pulling his partner in for cuddles and affection, the person initiating intimate contact that wasn’t sex.

Dan should have known that Phil would be different.

Being pampered like this hadn’t been what Dan had in mind for this shower — and he certainly intended to get around to his plans eventually — but it was too good to not give into. At some point, Phil’s other hand had joined the loofah, and was tracing soapy circles on Dan’s lower back. Dan was torn between wanting to press backwards into Phil’s hand, and lean further forward into Phil.

“I think that’s as clean as your stomach can get,” Phil said, withdrawing the loofah from Dan.

“Thank you.” Dan leaned forward and kissed Phil, slowly shifting the mood from soft back to heated.

“My turn,” Dan murmured with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

With a wink, Dan stole the loofah from Phil and brought it up to his chest, making much faster work of cleaning the dried mess off of Phil. Dan’s movements lacked the gentle caress of Phil’s, and were pushing down down down much faster.

Unlike Phil, Dan had his sights on something else.

Back in bed, Dan had been eager to explore Phil’s chest, to kiss and lick and nibble at as much of Phil as he could, but that wasn’t a particularly sexy thing to do when they were both covered in dried cum. So right now, Dan just needed Phil clean; there would be more time for intimate bathing in the future.

When the last traces of their activities from last night were washed from Phil’s torso, Dan carelessly dropped the loofah onto the floor and spun Phil around, forcing them to switch places. Dan guided Phil backwards so that he was directly under the shower head, and helped him rinse off all the the bubbles.

“That’s better,” Phil said as he reached for the handle to turn the faucet off.

With faster instincts than Dan realized he had, he seized Phil’s hand in mid-air. “What do you think you’re doing?” Dan asked, an eyebrow cocked at Phil.

Phil’s brows furrowed and his eyes flickered down to both of their stiff erections. “Getting out?”

“Oh no you don’t, Lester,” Dan said impishly. Before Phil could respond, Dan pushed him backwards, sending him softly crashing into the tiled wall of the shower. “I’m not done with you yet.”

“But I thought you wanted to —” Phil’s eyes followed Dan’s hands as they reached for Phil’s waist and slid down “Oh,” he gasped. “In here.”

“Yeah,” Dan teased with a playful, mocking edge to his voice. “In here.”

“You’re really something, Dan,” Phil mumbled, awestruck.

Dan smirked at Phil, taking that as enough permission to lean forward and finally begin exploring Phil’s body. His shoulders were broader than Dan’s, and definitely broader than Isabella’s, which meant that there was more skin that Dan could ravish. He worked his way across them, dropping kisses every few centimeters.

~*~*~*~*

Determined to find the spots that drove Phil crazy, Dan ducked lower. He traced his lips along Phil's collarbone, and dipped down, suddenly taking Phil’s nipple into his mouth. Beneath his lips, Dan could feel Phil’s chest huff with a sudden intake of breath. Spurred on by Phil’s reaction, Dan grazed his teeth against Phil’s chest and darted his tongue out to circle the pert nub.

“Shit — Dan,” Phil whimpered, so quietly that Dan almost didn’t hear him above the rushing of the water. The broken sound of Phil’s voice went straight to Dan’s cock, and he could feel a bead of precum leak out.

Taking his time, Dan kissed his way across Phil’s chest and gave the same attention to Phil’s other nipple, lavishing it with kitten licks and gentle bites. Once Dan was satisfied with the way Phil’s nipples had turned from pink to dark red, and were standing more erectly, he let his mouth slide down again. He kissed his way to Phil’s stomach, taking a moment to dip his tongue into Phil’s belly button. Phil’s head tipped back, smacking into the wall with a loud thunk, but Phil didn’t seem to notice.

Glancing up, Dan saw that Phil’s eyes were clamped shut, and his hands were spread flat against the wall near his hips, his fingers white from the pressure.

Dan slowly sunk down to his knees. Phil’s cock was right there, swollen and red, thick and long.

“Look at me,” Dan demanded as he nipped at Phil’s stomach to get his attention. Phil’s head snapped forward and his eyes flew open, his gaze frantically scanning over Dan. Dan was sure it was quite the sight; him on his knees, his head only centimeters away from Phil’s cock.

Dan’s tongue darted out to lick his lips as he hungrily eyed it. “Can I?” Dan asked, his mouth already close enough to blow air over Phil’s tip when he spoke.

“Please,” Phil begged quietly. His lips barely moved enough for the breath of a word to escape.

Dan didn’t respond, instead answering Phil’s plea by wrapping his lips around the head of Phil’s cock, one hand instinctively coming up to steady Phil’s base. A shuddering sigh shook out of Phil as Dan’s his tongue dipped into his slit and lapping up the leaking bead of precome.

When Dan had first started sleeping with men, he’d worried that the taste would bother him. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that it was fine, that some men even tasted sort of alright. But holy fuck, just like everything else about Phil, his taste was amazing.

Determined to make this good, to make it last, Dan teased at Phil’s tip, circling the head with his tongue and lapping at Phil’s slit. His hand just barely stroked Phil’s base, his thumb dipping down to brush against Phil’s balls.

“Daaan,” Phil groaned quietly, begging. Pleading.

“Mmmm,” Dan moaned, his mouth vibrating around Phil. Dan sunk forward, swallowing more and more of Phil’s cock at a tantalizingly slow pace, his tongue dragging along the sensitive vein.

By the time Dan’s lips finally, finally grazed Phil’s base, Phil was a panting mess. For so long, Dan had been dreaming of seeing Phil in this position — wanton and above him. Dan couldn't help opening his eyes to stare up while he had Phil’s entire cock in his mouth, the tip pushing passed his gag reflex.

Towering above Dan, Phil looked an absolute mess. His head was still tipped back against the tiled wall, frozen where it had dropped again. His eyes were half-lidded, now. Through the small slits of Phil’s eyes, Dan could see that his gaze was fixed straight down, focused on Dan.

Phil’s cock was thick enough that Dan’s mouth was stretched wide, his lips clamping tightly around the shaft as he bobbed up and down at an agonizingly slow pace. Dan’s mouth felt full, useful in a way it never did when he was with a woman. The heavy weight of cock on his tongue, and the faint pulsing of the head near the back of his throat, was intoxicating — and satisfied Dan’s minor oral fixation.

Hopefully, it was a filthy, hot picture for Phil.

It may have been a while since Dan had done this, but god was he happy to be doing it again, and god was he happy that it was Phil’s cock he was sucking. The shocking newness of having Phil’s dick in his mouth started to fade, and Dan gave the blowjob his all, determined to give Phil the best he’d ever had.

Holding the base of Phil’s cock in his hand, Dan pulled all the way off, watching it twitch in anticipation as it hung erect between Phil’s legs. Dan’s breath blew across Phil’s tip once, twice, before he sunk down again, faster this time, and took him all the way to the base in one fast swallow.

A quiet, low groan tumbled from Phil’s mouth as he hit the back of Dan’s throat. Dan was out of practice, but he quickly relaxed his muscles and opened a little wider, guiding Phil in as far as possible. He fucking loved deepthroating.

“God, you’re good a’this,” Phil moaned quietly.

Jesus fuck. Dan’s cock twitched in direct response to Phil’s compliment. He’d been hard before, but up until now he’d been content to ignore his own erection. But now, the need to give into his own pleasure was almost overwhelming and the pulsing need in his own dick was distracting.

“Phiw,” Dan moaned around Phil’s cock, his free hand seeking out his own cock and giving a few rough tugs. He didn’t want much — certainly not enough to finish himself, or even really get himself going — but he needed something to release the edge.

The loose pressure of his own hand on his cock was maddening, and Dan was tempted to give in, to turn his focus towards stroking himself. But that’s not why Dan had coaxed Phil into his shower — and besides, Dan had gotten off with his left hand a few too many times in the last couple of months. So Dan let go of himself, and turned the entirety of his attention back to Phil.

Without giving any warning, Dan’s hands flew up to brace Phil’s upper thighs, and he sunk down at a new, faster pace. Beneath his hands, Phil’s hips were canting forward, fucking lightly into Dan’s mouth. Siliently urging him to continue, Dan released some of the pressure of his hands, letting Phil thrust forward with more force.

Dan took care to drag his tongue along the underside of Phil’s shaft and lap at his slit on every bob, glancing up at Phil through his eyelashes the entire time.

So okay, maybe Phil just wasn’t that loud in bed, Dan realized, because Phil was definitely enjoying himself.

His breath was coming in short huffs and sharp gasps, his hips were pushing against Dan’s hold, itching to thrust harder into Dan’s mouth. Rosy pink bruises were blossoming on Phil’s chest and stomach, marking Dan’s path from Phil’s chin to his groin.

Phil was wrecked and, frankly, so was Dan.

It might have been greedy, but Dan wanted just a bit more, and from the way Phil was writhing against the wall, Phil was desperate for more, too.

Dan’s hands slid from their purchase on Phil’s thighs and found Phil’s wrists. Forcefully, he yanked Phil’s hands from the wall and brought them to his head, encouraging Phil’s fingers to tangle in his wet curls.

Dan broke his ministrations just long enough to pull off Phil’s cock and murmur a hoarse, “pull.”

Phil didn’t need to be told twice. His hands seized Dan’s hair and tugged, using the leverage to move Dan at the pace Phil needed. It was fast — much faster than Dan had been going before, and he was completely incapable of incorporating any proper skill at this point. But even without the licking, sucking, and stroking, Phil was still falling apart from Dan’s tongue alone.

Each yank on Dan’s hair, and every quiet moan from Phil’s lips, dragged Dan unrelentingly closer and closer to his own release.

“Fuck, Dan, you’re so—” Phil’s words dwindled into a breathy groan when Dan shifted his hands, lightly massaging Phil’s balls in one hand and pressing firmly against Phil’s perineum with the other.

“Sh-shit!” Phil’s finger’s sharply pulled at Dan’s hair, forcing him all the way off his cock. “C-close,” Phil panted, one hand reaching for his own dick. Dan knocked Phil’s hand out of the way, guiding it back to his tangled hair.

“Good,” Dan panted, hoping to sound cheeky, but instead his voice just sounded wrecked and god was that hot. “Me too,” he added, abandoning all flirty pretenses and sinking forward onto Phil’s cock again.

A soft grunt escaped Phil’s throat, pulling a louder, longer moan from Dan.

“Y’ don't have to s-swallow,” Phil stuttered, his eyes never leaving Dan’s lips on his cock.

Dan’s only response was to dig his fingers further into Phil’s perineum, finally finding his prostate and eliciting a hushed whine from him.

Beneath Dan’s massaging fingers, he could feel Phil’s balls drawn up, could feel Phil tense and freeze.

And then he could feel Phil let go.

Dan felt Phil’s cock pulse in his mouth, felt the white hot liquid hit the back of his throat, warm and salty and so fucking amazing.

“You feel so good, your mouth is so good, god, Dan,” Phil babbled, on the verge of incoherent, as his cock continued to pump cum into Dan’s mouth. Moaning around Phil’s cock, Dan swallowed every last drop of it, his hands continuing their ministrations and mouth hungrily sucking around Phil’s dick.

The praise, the hair pulling, the twitching of Phil’s cock in his mouth — it all had Dan teetering so close to his own orgasm that he dropped one hand from Phil and grasped his own cock, pulling roughly and desperately.

It was only a matter of strokes before Dan was pushed over the edge, too. He tensed, his attention split between the pleasure of his own cock and the weight of Phil’s dick in his mouth. Dan’s body shook as his orgasm ran through him, and he came in messy spurts on the shower floor.

His orgasm wracked his body in intense, heavenly waves. Even though Dan had technically finished himself, it was so much better than anytime he’d ever masturbated. The feeling of Phil’s cock pulsing in his mouth, and the desperate pulling of Phil’s hands in his hair made everything hotter.

When Phil’s cock started to soften, and Dan’s cock began to ache with overstimulation, Dan pulled off Phil, immediately sinking all the way down to the floor. His forehead helplessly crashed into Phil’s thigh, his hands coming up to cling at Phil’s shin like he was a life raft. Dan was too drained to hold himself up, and too desperate to be close to Phil to lean against the wall instead. The water was beginning to run lukewarm, but right now, Dan couldn’t be arsed enough to care.

~*~*~*~*

“Come up here,” Phil beckoned, his hand weakly tugging at Dan’s curls. He was still out of breath, and he sounded utterly blissed out. Dan had no idea how he was even talking.

“Can’t,” Dan mumbled between shaky breaths into Phil’s knee.

Phil’s hands shifted on Dan’s head, this time gently running through the soaked, tangled locks. “Wanna help y’finish,” Phil slurred.

Oh.

“Um,” Dan mumbled. Bashfully, he buried his face even more entirely into Phil’s thigh, arms fully wrapping around his leg and squeezing to slide himself closer. “No need,” Dan muttered.

Beneath his forehead, Dan felt Phil’s body shift sharply, and the hand in his hair tightened its hold for a split second before relaxing.

Gently, Phil pulled on Dan’s hair and coaxed Dan’s face away from his thigh. “Look up, baby,” Phil commanded softly.

Dan’s gaze trailed upwards, finally meeting Phil’s. Above him, Phil was staring down with a soft, disbelieving smile. His eyes flicked from Dan’s face and scanned down his body, no doubt able to see his softening cock and the white lines that still streaked the tile between them.

“You’re too perfect, Howell,” Phil whispered, disbelief and awe etched in his voice. He leaned down and tipped Dan’s head further back, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Did you really come just from sucking me off?” Phil asked quietly, amazed and shocked.

A warm blush worked its way from Dan’s chest to his ears, and he hoped the heat of the shower was enough to disguise it.

“Shuddup,” Dan mumbled bashfully, hiding his face in Phil’s legs. A light, soft touch ruffled his head as Phil’s fingers softly raked through Dan’s hair.

“That’s the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me.” Phil’s words came out in a low whine, and Dan was a least a little satisfied about that, and he already wanted to spend the rest of eternity topping all of Phil’s previous experiences.

And if Phil really was that turned on by Dan coming just from blowing Phil, god was this going to go well. Because Dan wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to suck Phil’s cock and not come, and god did he want to do that again and again.

Eventually, Phil straightened up, the sudden movement sending Dan back into the water’s path, and jarring him out of his thoughts. The look on his face suggested he had regained control of himself and was read to get out. “I’ll get coffee started for us, come out when you’re ready. Take your time.”

Exhausted and euphoric, Dan unraveled himself from Phil and shifted his weight to the wall beside him. He flashed what he hoped was a reassuring and grateful smile up at Phil as he stepped out of the shower.

The shower door shut behind Phil with a muted click, and Dan watched his silhouette through the glass. Phil wrapped not one, not two, but three of Dan’s big, fluffy towels around himself — leaving just one for Dan. Not that Dan particularly cared. He’d happily trot out to the kitchen completely naked knowing it was Phil who was going to be there.

Dan allowed himself a few more minutes to regain his breath and finally process everything that had happened now that he was alone. Even though he had been building towards this thing with Phil for months, a part of him had never expected to actually get here — and he certainly hadn’t expected it to be this good, this safe, this happy when they finally went for it.

Barely twelve hours ago, Dan had been fighting with Isabella in B ‘n G, and somehow that had led to that sweet, smiley first kiss he’d shared with Phil last night. How? How the fuck had a raging fight with his ex-girlfriend turned into getting together with the boy of his dreams?

Literally anyone but Phil would probably have run screaming.

Jesus, how the fuck had he gotten so lucky.

When he felt confident that he could walk again, Dan washed his cum down the drain, and pushed himself up off the ground. His knees protested, angry at kneeling on the hard wet tile for so long. Dan couldn’t bring himself to be upset by it though; he’d enjoyed every moment of sucking Phil off, and he’d eagerly do it again and again.

After turning off the water, Dan finally stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with the remaining towell, eager to get back to Phil’s side. On his way to the kitchen, he stopped only briefly in his bedroom, pulling on a tight, black pair of boxer briefs and nothing else. Hopefully whatever Phil had in mind for today wouldn’t require more clothing, because Dan’s ideal plans included burrowing in Phil’s arms and not leaving bed until he had to get ready for Louise’s.

In the kitchen, Dan found Phil in a similar state of dress — the exact same actually. It appeared that Phil had helped himself to a pair of Dan’s pants and fuck, if Dan hadn’t just come, or if he was five years younger, he’d push Phil against the counter and blow him again.

As it was, it was probably a good thing Dan wasn’t ready to push Phil up another wall, because every single one of the cabinets were opened wide and he’d probably end up with a concussion. Phil’s head had disappeared into the one to the right of the sink, his tight arse sticking out as he leaned forward.

“Can I help you with something, Philip?” Dan quipped. He slid behind Phil and wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist.

Phil jumped, knocking his head into the shelf of the cabinet. Dan muffled a laugh behind his hand, too endeared by the soft fiddlesticks that Phil muttered to openly make fun of him.

“Mugs?” Phil asked, spinning around to face Dan. “I can only find this one.”

Dan’s eyes followed Phil’s gesture to the counter, although he didn’t need to. He knew the only mug that Phil could be pointing to was the polka dotted one his had sister painted.

“Right,” Dan said flatly, not answering Phil’s question at all.

“Are they somewhere else, or…?” Phil asked when Dan didn’t elaborate.

“No,” Dan averted his gaze, landing instead on the one other mug he owned. It was the pink one from his grandmother; he’d set it in the breakfast bar and shoved some fake flowers in it for decoration. That was all it could hold now. The glue that held the sentimental chunks together wouldn’t be able to withstand large amounts of liquid.

Dan swallowed and looked back to Phil. “There’s kind of just that one,” he admitted, embarrassment taking over his voice and his face.

Phil’s brows furrowed, confusion etched on his face. “I know you live alone, but, um, why?”

Releasing Phil, Dan stepped back and dragged his hands roughly down his face. “It’s not a cheerful story,” he warned, dropping his hands back to his sides.

The confusion on Phil’s face twisted into concern. “What happened?”

“Isabella,” Dan said simply. When Phil didn’t say anything, Dan elaborated. “She showed up one day, pissed as all hell, and basically destroyed my kitchen, chucking all of my mugs onto the floor in the process.”

Dan nodded towards the mug Phil has sat on the counter. “That’s the only one that survived. It was in the other room, thank god.” Dan’s gaze shifted to the breakfast bar. “And that one, sort of.” His eyes slid over the obvious lines where the glue was holding it together. “But only because I picked up the pieces and made Louise fix it.”

Dan finally looked back at Phil and found a mixture of horror and sympathy on his face. “That’s horrible,” he whispered. His hands wrapped around Dan’s waists and pulled him into a tight embrace. Dan let himself melt into it, his head coming to rest on Phil’s shoulder and his arms looping around Phil’s hips.

“I warned you,” Dan mumbled dejectedly.

Phil was quiet for a moment, no doubt taking in the explanation. Dan expected Phil to ask any number of questions about the fight — what it was about, did she do things like that often, why didn’t Dan just dump her then — but instead, Phil asked, “What’s special about the mug you made Louise fix?”

Dan breathed a sigh of relief; he didn’t want to get into the full story. It was long over, and had been the most major tipping point in his relationship with Isabella— and Dan had no desire to give her the power to taint this perfect morning he was sharing with Phil.

“My grandma gave it to me right after I told her I was bi,” Dan murmured into Phil’s neck. “Kind of a I support you and fuck heteronormativity thing.”

Phil’s arms tightened around Dan, and he dropped a light kiss to Dan’s bare shoulder. “Your grandma sounds great.”

“She is,” Dan agreed. “She was the first person I ever came out to. I was like fourteen, and she was immediately just so accepting, and it was a big part of why I accepted myself and grew confident in my sexuality.”

Dan straightened up but didn’t move back from Phil, his gaze shifting to the mug. “I just couldn’t let it go. Even though it can’t really hold coffee anymore.”

Phil was quiet for a moment before leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to Dan’s lips.

“We can bring the coffee pot into the bedroom and share the one mug. It’ll be romantic.”

Dan chuckled wetly, belatedly realizing that tears were stinging at his eyes. “Romantic,” he smiled as he swallowed his tears, determined to not let them spill and ruin the morning. “Right.”

Just as Phil had suggested, they carried the coffee pot and single mug back into the bedroom, Dan grabbing a packet of biscuits on the way so that they had some sustenance. He was disappointed, however, when they got back to the room, only to realize that the sheets were still an absolute wreck.

“I guess we have to make up the bed, huh?” Phil sounded just as reluctant to do it as Dan did.

“We could. Or we could just strip it, and I could grab the duvet from the spare room and we could call it good enough.”

Phil sat their rations down on the bedside table, and started pulling the blankets off the bed. “Sounds great to me. Where’s your washer?”

“Oh, you don’t have to start them.”

“I really don’t mind. They’ll stain if we leave them too long.” Phil bundled the sheets in his arms. “Go grab the stuff. I got this.”

“Thanks,” Dan smiled, leading Phil out of the bedroom. “It’s in a closet in the main bathroom, through the foyer.”

Dan messily yanked the duvet off the spare bed, making a mental note to ask the maid to send it for dry cleaning before Darcy or his family spent the night again. Something about him and Phil being practically beneath it (and maybe entirely, who knows how the day would go), made him slightly uncomfortable to put it back on the guest bed later.

On his way back to his room, Dan swiped his computer from the lounge, just in case they wanted to watch anything. Unsurprisingly, he beat Phil back to the bedroom. Dan took the opportunity to light a candle — the stupidly expensive special occasions one that Louise had bought him — and crack the curtains so that they could pretend they were sort of partaking in the day.

Phil trailed back into the room, carrying two glasses of water with him. Dan flashed Phil a small, grateful smile and climbed into bed. The duvet was flipped down next to Dan, a clear invitation.

After setting the drinks on Dan’s nightstand, Phil followed. He settled on his back, and Dan immediately curled up into his side again.

“Coffee, please,” Dan mumbled into Phil’s now clean chest.

Phil passed Dan their shared mug. “I’m impressed you managed to go this long without caffeine,” he chuckled, his laughter shaking Dan’s head and making it difficult to not spill.

“Apparently, other things are capable of waking me up just as well.” Dan flashed Phil an impish smile, and was pleased when Phil’s cheeks tinted dark red.

“I don’t think cum has caffeine in it, Dan,” Phil teased back, smirking.

A shocked gasp flew out of Dan’s mouth, despite his laughing grin. He hadn’t expected Phil to push his joke even further — and especially didn’t expect him to say that.

“AmazingPhil, who knew you were so filthy!” Dan took another long gulp from the mug and shook his head in mock-exasperation.

“I’m not that innocent,” Phil protested, jostling Dan a little with his shoulder. Dan just rolled his eyes, and took another sip of their coffee.

As they passed the mug back and forth, taking turns drinking from it, they fell into an easy silence. Phil refilled the mug twice, letting Dan take the first, hottest sips from the mug both times. It was sweet, caring. Even if Dan did have a shit heat tolerance in his mouth and just about burned himself both times.

“What is the rest of your week like?” Phil asked suddenly.

Dan’s head snapped up to look at Phil. His face was stoic, and didn’t give any of his intentions away. “I’m working most days, but my nights are all free.” Dan scanned Phil’s face, trying to figure out what he was getting at. “Why?” Dan asked suspiciously.

“I want to take you on a date. Like, a proper fancy date.” Phil sounded adamant, but also a bit nervous.

The apprehension must have shown on Dan’s face.

“We’ll go somewhere fancy enough that there aren’t likely to be fans, somewhere nice enough where the staff aren’t… gossips.” Phil’s hand slipped from Dan’s hair and turned his chin up. Giant blue eyes stared down at Dan pleadingly. “We can save casual looking sushi dates and movies and other stuff that can be passed off as just mates for later. I just want to be able to take you out on a nice, real date first,” Phil insisted.

Forget Isabella — Phil was better than anyone Dan had ever been with. Everything he was saying just left Dan feeling overwhelmed. No one had ever wanted to take him on a date. It had always been the other way around, it had always been Dan taking his partners to nice restaurants and trying to spoil them.

Going out to a fancy restaurant with Phil — completely alone — was definitely a risk. It would be hard to explain if they got caught. Two bros chilling in a fancy restaurant because they’re not gay?

Dan couldn’t be bothered to care though. Whatever the risk was, it was worth it.

“You’re picking the restaurant, then,” Dan joked, afraid that if he spoke too genuinely — if he let on how touched he was — he’d lose control of his emotions.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” Phil promised softly. “I’ll figure it out, so long as you agree to come.”

Dan nodded, his head bumping into the underside of Phil’s chin. “Of course I’ll come, you spoon.” Dan’s voice wavered slightly, surely giving away his shaky emotions, but he pushed through. Now wasn’t the time for a seriously conversation about coming out or his shitty past relationships. Right now, Dan just wanted to concentrate on Phil. “That sounds nice,” he added, speaking more sincerely this time.

Phil leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Dan’s head. “Good,” he agreed softly. Dan felt his lips quirk up in a soft smile, and he sighed, grateful to finally have a partner that seemed to care.

Passing the mug back to Phil a final time, Dan opted to loop his hand around Phil’s waist instead. The clean expanse of Phil’s chest made for a much better pillow than his cum-covered chest had earlier this morning.

With a directive nudge, Dan pushed Phil’s other hand towards the nightstand, silently encouraging him to set the coffee mug down. When Phil’s hand was free, Dan reached out, intending to push Phil’s fingers into his hair.

Phil beat him to it though. He didn’t need any guidance to play with Dan’s curly locks. Fuck, Phil knew Dan so well already, was already so much better for Dan than Isabella had been.

“So,” Phil eventually said. “Are your plans with Louise friend stuff, or business stuff tonight?”

“Mostly friend stuff,” Dan answered. His hand traced up Phil’s side and drew small circles along Phil’s ribcage. “I have dinner with her and Darcy most Sundays, and I think they’re both a bit put out that I didn’t go over last night.”

That might have been an understatement. While Dan was on his flight home yesterday, Louise had texted Dan a screenshot of the takeaway app and asked what he wanted for dinner. When Dan had said he’d have to postpone another night, that he sort of had lose plans with Phil, Louise had sent him a string of frowny emojis.

Followed by two aubergines and a water explosion.

Dan had chosen not to respond to that tasteful message.

“You could have done that instead of coming to B ‘n G last night,” Phil offered, but he didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea.

“Trust me,” Dan laughed, his hand splaying across Phil’s chest and grazing his nipple. Beneath his fingertips, Dan felt Phil shudder in response and he didn’t bother to hid his satisfied smile at that. “I think I prefer our last night to take out on Louise’s sofa.”

“Good, I would hope you couldn’t get that from dinner at Louise’s,” Phil teased. His hand slipped down Dan’s back and dipped into the waistband of his pants, his fingers brushing along the top of Dan’s arse.

Dan blushed, squirming under Phil’s light but hot touch. “Definitely more satisfying than dinner,” Dan admitted into the crook of Phil’s neck.

Phil’s hands shifted, and latched onto Dan’s hips. Dan’s breath was nearly knocked out of him when Phil swiftly pulled Dan on top of him. Their clothed crotches messily slid together and fuck, Dan had already gotten off this morning but he could easily go again.

Warm breath brushed across Dan’s lips, Phil’s mouth just centimeters from him. “So what time are you free until?” Phil whispered suggestively.

Dan’s eyes squeezed shut as he tried to remember exactly what him and Louise had agreed on when they made plans. He was pretty certain he needed to be there around six, and maybe he was supposed to bring the food with him? It was so hard to concentrate on anything with Phil’s hand sneaking down his pants. “About five,” Dan settled on, hoping it was enough time. “I need to make a few stops before I go over.”

“Mmm, okay,” Phil hummed. “Let’s stay in bed until four then?” he suggested hopefully.

“Perfect,” Dan agreed.

[wineanddinosaur]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that’s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

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[isaiahrippinus]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that’s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

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[johnboothus]

Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africas Forgotten Vines

One day last February, in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, joined a group in his tasting room who were visiting on behalf of Wines of South Africa. It was the height of South Africa’s 2019 harvest, and temperatures were 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat had followed three years of drought.

“Welcome to climate change, guys,” Baumgarten said.

If there’s a wine likely to survive these conditions, it’s this. A David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc, it came from dry-farmed vineyards planted over half a century ago. Those tough, old Chenin bush vines have longevity on their side.

“Old vines do pretty well in adverse conditions, especially drought, particularly due to their well-established root systems,” Andre Morganthal, project manager for South Africa’s Old Vine Project (OVP), and our host for the tasting, said. OVP member wineries use grapes from vines at least 35 years old, a status indicated on bottles with the OVP’s Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

The Project is the brainchild of viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, who’s been hunting down South Africa’s forgotten vines since 2002. The diversity of her discoveries is impressive. Though they make up just 3 to 4 percent of all South African plantings, OVP-registered vines comprise 48 varieties. Approximately half of these are Chenin Blanc.

That’s largely because there’s so much Chenin in South Africa altogether. Once known by its old Dutch name, Steen, it was brought here in the 1650s. Under the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika (KWV), which dominated production in the 20th century until apartheid’s end in the 1990s, Chenin was widely planted for South Africa’s popular brandy. It’s still the nation’s most cultivated variety.

The reasons for the vines’ longevity, though, remain the subject of OVP research. Many suffer viruses, but with the help of vine nursery Vititec, the OVP has been cleaning up neglected vines and propagating disease-free materials from them for “new” heritage vineyards at Anthonij Rupert. By doing this, the OVP is creating a living archive — and one that is adapted to South African conditions.

“I believe the oldest vineyards in South Africa have mutated to plants that reflect the landscape, the sun and the wind and the rain typical to that site and typical to the South African climate,” says Morganthal, who also believes “old-vine South African Chenin represents some of the best white wine in the world, different from, for example, Loire Chenin, solely because of the abundance of sunshine, unique ancient soils, and clonal materials, weathered over centuries.”

Bosman Family Winery’s Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, made from bush vines dating to 1952, with its banana-like notes and abundant minerality; Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin’s big, rich texture and bitter-herb finish evocative of South Africa’s fynbos, or scrublands; Mullineux’s Leliefontein Quartz Chenin’s opulent mouthfeel and snappy, pineapple acidity, indicative of its quartz-laden soils — these wines are not only delicious, they are uniquely South African.

Unlike the wetter, cooler, limestone Loire, where a touch of RS (residual sugar) is left in the wines to balance out their acid, South Africa’s Chenins are mainly vinified bone-dry, but they’re characterized by a natural, velvety mouthfeel that’s amplified as the vines age. “Yields come down and the bunches and berries are smaller,” says winemaker Christopher Mullineux of Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. “You get more natural extract from these small berries, and that is where the natural textures come from.”

Indeed, sensory researchers at Stellenbosch University found that old-vine Chenins exhibit complex aromas and concentrated, balanced, lengthy mouthfeel. “Grapes on older vines ripen later, have a lower pH, higher acidity, and lower sugar,” Morganthal says. “It’s an ideal analysis for a wine.”

That is, if the vines are treated right. Kruger learned the hard way. “During the first years I tried to cut life back into the old vines with pruning shears. I made a terrible mistake,” she says. Heavy pruning weakens old vines. “Now, with our new pruning techniques, shaping the vine from the best wood on the plant, we have increased quality and volume,” she says.

The same goes for fertilizing, which Kruger does sparingly and organically. “We have the best results when we treat these lovely old plants with dignity,” she advises vineyards. “Listen to them as if you are talking to your grandmother.”

A light touch in the vineyard allows for more of the same in the winery. Says Mullineux, “If you have healthy old vines, it tends to be easier to make low-intervention wines, as the fruit is in a better natural balance.”

In its membership agreement, the Old Vine Project encourages minimalist techniques, eschewing added acid, sulphur, new oak, and commercial yeast. Many old-vine Chenins are the result of spontaneous fermentation with extended lees contact in old wood and, sometimes, concrete or amphora. Luscious wines with exuberant, tropical flavors, they are made to express their terroir.

Of course, we can’t separate terroir from history. A 35-year-old vine planted under apartheid has racialist exploitation embedded in its wood. And today, though South African organizations like the Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association promote ethics in labor relations, a 2011 Human Rights Watch report found widespread labor abuses in the South African wine industry. These included substandard and insecure housing on winery lands, harsh working conditions and overly long hours, safety hazards such as pesticide exposure, lack of access to drinking water, opposition to unionizing, and more.

Says biodynamic viticulturist Johan Reyneke, who worked in vineyards in the 1990s before launching his own Reyneke Wines: “My colleagues were poor; they were working as kids. It just sucked. One cold day in the vineyard, I put my surfing wetsuit on under my clothes, but my colleagues, they shoved newspaper in their shoes to stay warm. I said, ‘If I stay in this industry, things must change.’”

As Human Rights Watch found, however, not all wineries have poor labor practices. Reyneke launched his Cornerstone wine series to dedicate its proceeds to education, housing, and retirement annuities for his workers and their families. Similarly, at Bosman Family Wines, a Fairtrade brand, workers own 26 percent of the business and 430 hectares of Bosman land.

“We are very cognizant of our legacy, specifically the current working and living conditions of our workers,” Morganthal says. The Project trains workers, he says, “to elevate their skills to master pruner level,” and has developed a trading platform for old-vine grapes “to benefit grape growers, brand owners, and, ultimately, vineyard workers.”

The idea is that old-vine skills, grapes, and wines can garner higher prices, so there’s more cash in the system to raise the living standards for everyone.

As Mullineux argues, “If we cannot sell our wine for a fair price, then everybody in the Swartland struggles, and we cannot break the cycles of the past.”

10 Old-Vine Chenin Blanc Wines to Try

Not every old-vine winery is a member of the Old Vine Project, but each wine below meets the OVP’s 35-year-old threshold and is available in the States:

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2018 Left 10 months on the lees in 15 percent new wood, this wine from vines planted in 1974 and 1978 on the Cape South Coast balances beautifully between oak-driven oomph and a pineapple-citrus acidity. Price $37.99.

Botanica Mary Delany Series Chenin Blanc 2017 From dry-farmed bush vines dating to 1957, this wine shows juicy Asian pear notes and a touch of spiciness with a flinty finish. Price $26.94.

David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2017 This apple-bright wine comes from low bush vines planted in decomposed granite, shale mix, and iron-rich clay soils between 1963 and 1982. Price $79.94.

Hogan Chenin Blanc 2016 Full malolactic fermentation gives this creamy wine from 40-year-old Swartland vines an exuberant, nearly gewürztraminer bouquet and big papaya-like flavor, balanced by a bright, bitter finish. Price $41.99.

Ken Forrester The FMC 2018 A boom-boom vanilla richness and intense, snappy apricot fruit battle it out in this Stellenbosch bottle vinified from 46-year-old bush vines and aged a year in barrel. Price $56.99.

Joostenberg Die Agteros Chenin Blanc 2018 Vinified from 38-year-old Stellenbosch vines in a mix of new oak and concrete eggs, this bargain organic wine has the weighty texture to linger over but the gingery acid to make it terrifically refreshing. Price $15.94.

Memento 2015 Abetted by 9 percent Verdelho, this Chenin Blanc blended from 35-year-old Swartland vines and ones just a tad younger in Bot River smells of ripe mango and guava with a lush, savory mid-palate that resolves to a green-apple bite. Price $32.99.

Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2017 One of three single-terroir expressions by the winery, this fresh-faced Chenin from 40-year-old vines dry farmed in Paardeberg’s decomposed granite soils has a tart nose but a velvety mouthfeel and a bittersweet finish reminiscent of roasted endive. Price $69.97.

Mullineux Straw Wine 2017 From a mix of old vines at least 37 years old grown in granite and schist soils, this luscious, passito-style dessert wine balances nectary sweetness with dried-apricot brightness. Price $49.96 for 375 ml.

Reyneke Chenin Blanc Natural Wine 2016 Cold-fermented and matured in clay amphora, this unique Chenin Blanc from a biodynamic Stellenbosch producer working with vines over 40 years old has a nutty, umami character with a hint of sweet smoke, like that of roasted almonds or butter-braised enoki mushrooms. Price $68.99

The article Chenin Blanc Winemakers Are Breathing New Life Into South Africa’s Forgotten Vines appeared first on VinePair.

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