We made very good time coming from Knysna and reached Robertson before 12. This is one of our favourite wine areas; the people are so friendly and genuine and the wines are excellent. We have made lots of friends here. The two valleys of Robertson and Bonnievale are very fruitful and beautiful. It is easy to get around and we like it so much that we even contemplated moving here at one time. All our appointments for the two days were ably organised for us by Renate le Roux at the Robertson Tourism office
Our first wine estate visit was to De Wetshof, which produces some of the best wines in the valley
This is the stunning avenue leading up to the tasting room and winery
Such an elegant building. The cellar façade is based on the renowned and historic First Customs House in Cape Town, while the tasting room/administration building is a replica of the Koopmans De Wet House in Strand Street, Cape Town, which dates back to 1791. Both of the original buildings were designed by Louis Michel Thibault, one of the most renowned architects of the early Cape. De Wetshof was the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley. Danie de Wet was one of the pioneers in bringing Chardonnay grapes to South Africa and De Wetshof has continued to produce excellent wines from them to this day. De Wetshof is one of the few third generation wine estates in South Africa. Danie de Wet, Proprietor and Cellarmaster is assisted by his sons and co-owners Johann (viticulture and marketing) and Peter (winemaker)
The farm recently became the first recipient of the 2022 World Wildlife Fund Conservation Pioneer Award, one of the accolades under the prestigious Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism and Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards. The award seeks to emphasise the critical role of eco- and social sustainability in the development and execution of a new generation of relevant and appealing competitive travel offerings
Charmaine Delgado has been selling De Wetshof wine as long as we can remember
and was happy to see us after quite a long time, due to Covid
Heinrich Bothman, the Public Relations Officer and tasting room manager,
took us on a tour of the busy and impressive bottling plant
Heinrich is better qualified than he lets on!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heinrich-bothman-8b07251a/
The bottling plant had just finished for the morning; the staff had stopped for lunch
Bon Vallon is one of the renowned Chardonnays that de Wetshof produces
Translation: Each bottle is a masterpiece
and then it was time for a tasting of their excellent wines
We were to have the tasting in the smart downstairs cellar,
but the weather was so perfect that it had been moved outside
Johann de Wet, who is responsible for marketing, viticulture and vineyard management on De Wetshof,
joins his father Danie and brother Peter on the South African chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux.
The de Wet family’s winemaking heritage can be traced back to 1694 when the first de Wets arrived at the Cape
We love their range of different terroir Chardonnays, which we often drink at home
and were impressed with their Sauvignon Blanc, Lilya Rosé and Nature in Concert Pinot Noir
We had the tasting during a lovely relaxed lunch outside under the trees with Johann
What a wonderful treat to have the tasting with Johann in such beautiful surroundings
We began with the 2021 Lilya Rosé, made from Cabernet Franc, which grows in the vineyard next to Johann's home
This pale onion skin rosé is gently pressed with no skin contact
Lovely, gentle red berry fruit and floral notes on the nose, which follow through on the lively palate;
it’s a summer wine with hints on the end of Cabernet Franc savouriness.
So good with food, or just to quaff while sitting, as we did, in the sunshine
De Wetshof 2021 Sauvignon Blanc. We didn't know that De Wetshof produced the second Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa
It is quite French in style with capsicum, delicate asparagus and granadilla on the nose
The long deep flavours repeat those characteristics on the palate, with lime and loquat
Next, a wine that we drink and buy often - the Limestone Hill, 2021; unwooded and a good example of cool climate unwooded Chardonnay. It shows fresh lime with minerality on the nose, zingy crisp lime, grapefruit and lemon on the palate with a touch of white peach; such a good crisp wine for rich dishes and seafood
Bon Vallon is also a site specific unwooded Chardonnay, but gentler than Limestone Hill, with some creamy lemon lime flavours, and floral notes with good minerality from the limestone and broken mountain rock terroir
Cheers! So happy to be here tasting some of our favourite wines
Finesse 2020 Chardonnay has a slightly dusty nose with vanilla and loquat, a lovely rich mouthfeel,
zesty lime and orange peel flavours and some good chalk from its terroir - rocky, gravelly mountain soils, rich in limestone
It spends 10 months in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels which give it a pine nut hint on the end palate
A wine to drink with roast meat and seafood
2018 The Site, wooded Chardonnay, matured in French Radoux oak barrels for a year
The Chardonnay vines planted in this unique 2.5 hectare south facing vineyard site
were sourced from a specific vineyard in Burgundy
Grown on gravelly mountain rock, rich in limestone with a high PH, this wine "reaffirms De Wetshof’s belief
that single and site specific vineyards are non-negotiable wherever the aim is to produce great Chardonnay"
Vanilla wood is to the fore on the nose, the rich wine is rounded on the palate with crisp lime,
then butter, cream and more lime producing a superb Chardonnay that has a good chalky finish. Very special
Finally our favourite De Wetshof Chardonnay, the Bateleur. Named after an eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus),
which is one of Africa’s most majestic birds of prey; it is found in this area. We tasted the 2018
This premier 3.5 hectare vineyard is one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in South Africa, planted in 1987
with vine material that had been imported from Burgundy several years before
Gravel soils from mountain rock, rich in limestone and clay
The wooded wine spends several months in French oak Radoux barrels and is given batonage
On the nose it is very French in style and is a dive-in one for Lynne;
hard to get one’s nose out of the glass, the aromas are so seductive
On the rounded palate, it has good minerality, chalk and layers of lime, lemon and pear fruit
with nutty vanilla wood gently holding it all together. So well made and it has great aging potential
We have had the privilege in the past to taste this wine together with the wine from the parent French vineyard and,
while they are different expressions, the similarity and the site character are there in the wines
We were glad that winemaker Peter de Wet could join us for a short while as well,
and we so enjoyed being with them both again
The final wine was the De Wetshof 2017 Nature in Concert Pinot Noir. Grown in rocky slate soils on south facing slopes
open to the cooling sea breezes blowing in from the Agulhas coast and ideal for Pinot Noir
It is delicate on the nose, with red berries, raspberries and mulberries; there is a hint of smoke from the French oak
Heady, long flavours of red berries, elegance, good chalk tannins and light wood on the end,
again very French in style and excellent
They had prepared a very enjoyable lunch of braaied boerewors, succulent lamb chops, and good salads, which we enjoyed very much. There should have been photographs but, sadly, the SD card in John’s camera let us down at that point and they are corrupted
Thank you to all at De Wetshof who made it such a special afternoon, especially Johann and Peter
We are very grateful indeed for their time and for the wonderful wines we tasted
and then, we were off to a bubbly afternoon at Silverthorn (Click Here)
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