The Elgin Vintners are a partnership of six dedicated grape growers who, believing in the excellence of the terroir and diversity of their vineyards, have combined their resources to cultivate and produce a range of high quality wines. They hail from the beautiful Elgin Valley, a high inland plateau completely surrounded by mountains, seventy kilometres along the coast from Cape Town. This cool climate region was long known for its apple orchards but since the turn of the century quality conscious winemakers have been taking advantage of the temperate conditions afforded by high altitudes and cooling winds from the Atlantic, to grow exemplary Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Elgin Vintners flagship red wine is the Pinot Noir. This variety is exceptionally well suited to Elgin due to its gentle climate and ideal growing conditions, being the coolest wine region in South Africa. But we are also carrying their beautiful Chardonnay and distinguished Merlot.

Chardonnay

The grapes come from a single block of the Pumphouse vineyard, planted in 2005. After pressing one hundred percent of the juice was fermented using wild yeast in French oak barrels sourced from Burgundian cooperages, twenty percent of which were new.

The finished wine then matured in barrel for a further eight months. An appetising mixture of ripe citrus, marmalade and oatmeal sit above the taught and textured palate, given backbone by a lean mineral streak. Subtle notes of spice from the oak ageing carry on through the long, harmonious finish.

Merlot

The grapes come from the Eikenhof Vineyard, planted in 2004 on Koffie Klip soils. The wine was aged in French oak barriques, twenty percent new, where it matured for twenty months.

A distinguished Merlot, combining blend of bold plum, blackberry, and blueberry fruit with distinctive notes of violet, cardamom and walnut. Plush, silky tannins give a luxurious mouthfeel, followed by a pure and refreshingly savoury finish.

Pinot Noir

The grapes come from the Pine Tree Vineyard, planted in 2002 on a mixture of Tukulu, Koffie Klip and Table Mountain Sand Stone, on a north west facing slope. The grapes were de-stemmed into a mixture of open top fermenters and closed stainless steel tanks. The wine was then gently pressed to French oak barriques, where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine was aged on its fine lees for a further ten months.

Vibrant cherry fruit, crushed strawberry and orange zest combine with pleasing floral and herbal notes. Supple and well rounded in the mouth, with the perfect balance between fruit, tannin and acidity.