The grapes are received early in the morning and whole-bunch pressed. The free run and second press components are kept separately; the juice settled and inoculated and fermentation commences. After fermentation, the wine is settled and racked off the lees. The base wine is filtered and adjusted in sweetness before bottling; preparing it for the second fermentation. During bottling, yeast is added to the sweetened base wine and stirred. A long, slow secondary fermentation commences with a further 2-4 years of bottle maturation on the lees. During the disgorging process we add the dosage (a mixture of base wine and sugar to slightly adjust the sweetness), and after disgorgement, the bottles are kept for about 3 months before being released into the market.

The biggest part of this vintage blend hails from Altima vineyards, situated in Elandskloof where the best vineyard sites and soils are found on the steep slopes surrounding this picturesque valley. Good decomposed shale soils, from the Malmesbury group of soils, are the predominant soils on the farm. These soils tend to have a high water-retention capacity and are high in organic matter, resulting in vigorous growth. The Chardonnay vineyards trellising system is vertical shoot positioning, whilst the Pinot Noir vineyards are trellised using the posted vine method.

The grapes are received early in the morning and wholebunch pressed. The free run and second press components are kept separately; the juice settled and inoculated and fermentation commences. After fermentation, the wine is settled and racked off the lees. The base wine is filtered and adjusted in sweetness before bottling; preparing it for the second fermentation.  During bottling, yeast is added to the sweetened base wine and stirred. A long, slow secondary fermentation commences with a further 2-4 years of bottle maturation on the lees. During the disgorging process we add the dosage (a mixture of base wine and sugar to slightly adjust the sweetness), and after disgorgement, the bottles are kept for about 3 months before being released into the market.

The biggest part of this vintage blend hails from Altima vineyards, situated in Elandskloof where the best vineyard sites and soils are found on the steep slopes surrounding this picturesque valley. Good decomposed shale soils, from the Malmesbury group of soils, are the predominant soils on the farm. These soils tend to have a high water- retention capacity and are high in organic matter, resulting in vigorous growth. The Chardonnay vineyards trellising system is vertical shoot positioning, whilst the Pinot Noir vineyards are trellised using the posted vine method.

The grapes are received early in the morning and wholebunch pressed. The free run and second press components are kept separately; the juice settled and inoculated and fermentation commences. After fermentation, the wine is settled and racked off the lees. The base wine is filtered and sweetness is adjusted before bottling; preparing it for the second fermentation. During bottling, the yeast is added to the sweetened base wine and stirred. A long, slow secondary fermentation commences with a further 2-4 years of bottle maturation on the lees. During the disgorging process we add dosage (a mixture of base wine and sugar), and after disgorgement, the bottles are kept for about 3 months before being released into the market.

The Pinot noir vineyards at Altima (Elandskloof) are the only Pinot noir vineyards in South Africa at a very high altitude using the posted vine method (stok-by-paaltjie). The Pinot noir vineyards at L’Ormarins are situated on moderate to steep slopes with an altitude ranging between 178-188m above sea level. The soils are mainly decomposed granite with alluvial sandy soils. The Chardonnay vineyards at Rooderust consist of decomposed shale with a larger percentage of clay in the composition. This soil type belongs to the Oakleaf group of soils, and are calcareous with excellent draining and water-retention properties. The Chardonnay vineyards at Rooderust consist of decomposed shale with a larger percentage of clay. This soil type belongs to the Oakleaf group of soils, and are calcareous with excellent draining and water-retention properties.

The Pinot Noir grapes are mainly from L’Ormarins (Franschhoek) and a smaller portion is sourced from Altima (Elandskloof), Darling and Robertson. The Chardonnay grapes are sourced mainly from our Rooderust farm (Darling area) and a smaller portion from L’Ormarins (Franschhoek) and Robertson.

The Pinot noir vineyards at Altima (Elandskloof) are the only Pinot noir vineyards in South Africa at a very high altitude using the posted vine method (stok-by-paaltjie). The Pinot noir vineyards at L’Ormarins are situated on moderate to steep slopes with an altitude ranging between 178-188m above sea level. The soils are mainly decom- posed granite with alluvial sandy soils. The Chardonnay vineyards at Rooderust consist of decomposed shale with a larger percentage of clay in the composition. This soil type belongs to the Oakleaf group of soils, and are calcareous with excellent draining and water-retention properties.