Vineyards
Looking for the best vineyard parcels in the Cape for these wines enables us to work with each grape variety in sites that are perfectly suited to them in terms of climate and soil.
The wines are from leased vineyards in multiple regions (not only Franschhoek) so are aimed at expressing the Cape as a whole. We control the viticulture and the vines are mostly old.
The Cinsault in the Leeu Passant flagship Red Blend, for example, comes from the two oldest registered red wine vineyards in South Africa, both dry farmed bush vines – one is 117 years old and planted in deep sandy alluvial soils near Wellington and the other is a 91 year old vineyard planted on the lower eastern slopes of the Franschhoek mountains.
The climates of Wellington and Franschhoek are both ideally suited to Cinsault, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are sourced from vineyards on the cool slopes of the Helderberg Mountain and Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch.
Chardonnay is sourced from a vineyard parcel planted on the higher loam-based slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch where there is a strong maritime influence.
All vineyards are farmed as sustainably as possible, without the use of any herbicides, and with the application of composts, cover crops and mulch.
Winemaking
Our winemaking is focused on balanced intensity. We aim to bottle wines that have texture, freshness, structure and aromatic complexity.
To achieve this, we make use of modern minimalist winemaking, which entails, for example, the use of indigenous yeast, no enzymes or tannins, but high levels of hygiene and a sound knowledge of malolactic fermentation etc.
