STELLENZICHT

An estate with a fascinating history, Stellenzicht is regarded as an icon winery in South Africa continuing to win prestigious awards. 

Dating back to 1692, Stellenzicht was part of a much larger farm granted to its first owner, Barendt Hendrikse by Governor Simon van der Stel. He named the property 'Rustenburg' however there was another farm with the same name, spelled ' Rustenberg' established after Governor Simon van der Stel gave the right to families from the Cape of Good Hope to cultivate the land in what became known as the Stellenbosch district. 

To avoid confusion the owners met and late one night, jovially agreed to flip a coin for the privilege of exclusive right to the name, Rustenberg, with the result that 'Rustenburg' is now known as Stellenzicht!

What determines the quality of a wine? 

"Balance," says talented oenologist, Guy Webber. "The aim is balance, to give the vines enough water to ripen the berries without diluting them." 

Balance plays a role in the fermentation and maturation of the wine. "Take the fermentation temperature, for example," Guy explains, "high temperatures result in very good colour and tannin extraction in red wines, but also in the evaporation of much of the grape’s inherent fruit flavours. Cold temperatures, on the other hand, result in very fruity reds with little colour and often even less body." 

Well-known French winemaker, Robert Drouhin says, "Living with your feet in an oven and your head in a freezer does not mean that your average body temperature is ideal. The most important thing about balance is to avoid extremes."

STELLENZICHT SÉMILLON RESERVE 2003

"The vineyards," explains viticulturist Eben Archer, "range in age from 5 to 14 years, growing in decomposed granitet. The vines are grafted onto nematode-resistant Richter 99 and 110 rootstocks and trellised on a five-wire system, supplementary irrigation is from an overhead sprinkler system and yields an average of 2,94 tons per hectare.

"The grapes," winemaker Guy Webber continues, "were harvested by hand at 24,8° Balling at the end of February. After destalking and crushing, the mash was transferred to closed stainless steel tanks where fermentation was affected by the addition of the pure yeast strains VIN7 and VIN 13."

"The wine was then transferred to barrels (80% new, 15% second and 5% third-fill) in which malolactic fermentation was induced to add complexity. To retain some of the fresh acidity we did not complete the process and the wine remained on the lees for nine months before bottling."

STELLENZICHT RHAPSODY 2002

No surprise then that these wines are winners of so many international awards and well as the obvious choice for international airline wine menus and gracious restaurants worldwide.  

Stellenzicht’s Syrah, a five-star winner in the John Platter South African Wine Guide has become the yardstick against which all other Cape Shiraz wines are measured.  

Now winemaker Guy Webber has combined his expertise with Shiraz and his love of Pinotage to produce Rhapsody.  A blend of 53% Pinotage and 47% Shiraz, it melds the outstanding characteristics of both these varietals to create a new wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Viticulturists Johan Mong and Gary Probert tells us that grapes were sourced from vineyards in the Stellenbosch area and grown on particular slopes facing west and north-west on soils originating from decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone. The vines ranging in age from 6 to 14 years and at altitudes of 150 m to 300 m. Vines are grafted onto nematode resistant rootstocks and are pruned and trained in order to balance the growth and yields for absolute quality. Receiving no extra irrigation, the yields from both vineyards were lower than usual due to very selective picking and averaged out at below six tons per hectare. 

Guy Webber comments, "The grapes were harvested by hand. After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 29°C with selected pure yeast cultures (NT50, D254 and N96). The juice was separated from the skins after five days. 

After malolactic fermentation the wine was matured in a combination of French (81%), American (17%) and Hungarian (2%) oak. Mostly new oak (52%) was used with a combination of second (13%) and third-fill (35%). 

Veritas 2005 – Gold
Winemakers Choice 2005 – Diamond Award

STELLENZICHT SYRAH 2000

Eben Archer tells us "The single vineyard was planted in 1989 and is situated on the slopes facing west and north-west in soils originating from decomposed granite, at an altitude of 120 m above sea-level. This vineyard block is affectionately known as “Plum Pudding Hill” as it consistently produces fruit of high quality and ripeness. 

The vines are grafted onto nematode-resistant 101-14 rootstocks and are trellised on six-wire fence systems, receiving supplementary overhead irrigation when needed. The yield was restricted to 4,7 tons per hectare to further enhance the quality of the fruit. 

"The grapes were harvested by hand in March at 24,6° Balling," explains Guy Webber. After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented in two separate batches in stainless steel tanks at 28°C, with differing selected pure yeast cultures (NT50 and N96). 

The juice was removed from the skins after five days. After malolactic fermentation the wine was left to mature in a combination of French (66%), American (19%) and Hungarian (15%) oak for a period of 18 months before bottling. 

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Photography by Franz Lauinger