De Wetshof Estate

The De Wet family has been part of the South African wine story for more than three centuries. The first De Wets arrived at the Cape from Holland in 1693 or 1694, settling in the Stellenbosch and Drakenstein areas and going on to become one of the founding wine families of the Cape. The De Wetshof farm itself was established on its current site near the town of Robertson in 1949 by Johan de Wet, Danie's father. In the late 1960s Danie de Wet travelled to Germany to study viticulture and oenology, completing his diploma at the prestigious Geisenheim Institute in 1972. He returned home determined to make fine white wine in a country then dominated by sweet and fortified styles, and in 1972 he turned De Wetshof into the first private cellar in Robertson. By the late 1970s De Wetshof had become the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley, a status that opened the door for the modern fine wine industry in the district. Danie's vision was to prove that Robertson's limestone-rich soils could produce world-class Chardonnay, then a barely planted variety in South Africa, and that conviction shaped every decision that followed.

• The first De Wets arrived at the Cape from Holland in 1693 or 1694; the family is one of the founding wine families of South Africa
• The De Wetshof farm itself was established on its current Robertson site in 1949 by Johan de Wet, Danie's father
• Danie de Wet graduated from the Geisenheim Institute in Germany in 1972 and turned De Wetshof into the first private cellar in Robertson that same year
• De Wetshof became the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley in the late 1970s

Danie de Wet is widely credited as the godfather of South African Chardonnay. When he returned from Geisenheim in 1972, Chardonnay was almost unknown in the Cape and the country's white wine industry was dominated by sweet and fortified styles. Danie released his maiden Chardonnay in 1981, ten years before the Bateleur flagship single-vineyard wine was bottled, and used the 1980s to import quality plant material from Burgundy through the proper certified channels at a time when much South African plant material was of mixed virus status. In 1986 he planted his first Chardonnay vineyard using clones sourced from the legendary Clos des Mouches vineyard in Beaune, the Hospices de Beaune's most famous Chardonnay holding. The 3.5 hectare parcel planted in July 1987 became the source of the Bateleur Chardonnay. Across a 40-plus year career Danie has been honoured as Diners Club Winemaker of the Year by the South African Wine and Brandy Trust and was awarded the 1837 Medallion for his contribution to the country's wine industry. He continues to act as chairman and senior winemaker at De Wetshof while his sons run the day-to-day business.

• Maiden De Wetshof Chardonnay released in 1981; one of the first commercial Chardonnays in South Africa from a registered estate
• 1986 to 1987 imported Chardonnay plant material from Clos des Mouches in Beaune through certified channels; 3.5 hectare Bateleur block planted July 1987
• First Bateleur single-vineyard Chardonnay bottled in 1991, named for the bateleur eagle that nests in the Robertson region
• Honoured as Diners Club Winemaker of the Year and awarded the 1837 Medallion for contribution to South African wine

De Wetshof is now run by Danie's two sons, who represent the third generation of De Wets on this Robertson farm. Johann de Wet serves as CEO and oversees the vineyards, the global brand and the estate's commercial relationships; Peter de Wet is CFO and runs finance, logistics and operations. The brothers grew up on the farm, studied wine and business respectively, and took over day-to-day management while Danie remained as chairman and senior winemaker. Lesca de Wet, Danie's wife and matriarch of the estate, is honoured in the name of the Finesse Lesca Chardonnay, the Burgundy-styled lightly wooded wine that is sometimes described as the spiritual heart of the De Wetshof range. The family is unified around a single philosophy: that Robertson is one of the great Chardonnay regions of the New World, that limestone-rich soils and cool maritime breezes from the Indian Ocean make a distinctive style, and that De Wetshof should remain a Chardonnay-led estate rather than chasing every new variety on the market.

• Third generation in charge: Johann de Wet (CEO, vineyards and brand) and Peter de Wet (CFO, finance and logistics)
• Danie de Wet remains chairman and senior winemaker; Lesca de Wet, matriarch, is honoured in the Finesse Lesca Chardonnay
• Family philosophy: Chardonnay-led estate rather than chasing trend varieties, with Robertson terroir at the centre of every wine
• Brothers run the modern business while preserving the single-cultivar focus their father established in the 1970s

De Wetshof sits on the slopes overlooking the Breede River in the Robertson valley, planted on gravelly red soils packed with limestone and clay. The limestone content is the highest of any wine district in South Africa and is the foundation of De Wetshof's mineral-driven Chardonnay style; the clay component retains water through the dry summers and supports steady ripening even when irrigation is reduced. Robertson sits roughly 160 km east of Cape Town and 90 km inland from the Indian Ocean, and afternoon south-easterly breezes from the coast (a southern cousin of the famous Cape Doctor wind that scours Cape Town) draw cool air up the Breede River corridor in the late afternoon. Diurnal temperature swings of up to 20 degrees Celsius preserve natural acidity in the grapes, while daytime sunshine pushes phenolic ripeness to Burgundian-plus levels. The Bateleur vineyard is the showpiece, 3.5 hectares of low-vigour Clos des Mouches material planted in July 1987 on the most limestone-rich block on the property. De Wetshof has been a long-time leader in conservation farming in Robertson, with cover cropping, integrated pest management and an estate-wide commitment to soil health.

• Gravelly red soils packed with limestone and clay; the highest natural limestone content of any South African wine district
• Robertson cooled by south-easterly Indian Ocean breezes that draw up the Breede River corridor in the afternoon; diurnal swings of up to 20 degrees Celsius
• Bateleur vineyard is 3.5 hectares of Clos des Mouches material planted July 1987 on the estate's most limestone-rich block
• Conservation farming approach with cover crops, integrated pest management and soil health monitoring

De Wetshof produces one of the most complete Chardonnay ranges in the New World, with bottlings that span the full stylistic spectrum from unwooded freshness to barrel-aged single-vineyard intensity. Limestone Hill is the unwooded entry, fermented and aged on its fine lees in stainless steel and built around bright lemon, yellow apple and a chalky limestone finish. Bon Vallon Sur Lie is lightly wooded in older barrels and built around the same fresh fruit but with a creamier mid-palate from extended lees contact. Finesse Lesca, named for Lesca de Wet, is the lightly oaked Burgundian-styled wine, fermented and aged in a mix of one-, two- and three-year-old French oak. The Site is a single-vineyard bottling from a specific limestone block, intended to demonstrate site expression. The flagship is Bateleur, the single-vineyard Chardonnay from the 1987 Clos des Mouches block, barrel-fermented and matured for 12 months in French oak with a significant proportion of new wood, made only in exceptional years. The range is rounded out by a Pinot Noir, a small line of red blends and a Cap Classique sparkling wine, but Chardonnay is the unambiguous focus.

• Limestone Hill: unwooded, stainless steel fermented and aged on lees; bright lemon, yellow apple and chalky limestone finish
• Bon Vallon Sur Lie: lightly wooded in older French oak; rounded mid-palate from extended lees contact
• Finesse Lesca: lightly oaked Burgundian-styled wine in one-, two- and three-year-old French oak; named for Lesca de Wet
• Bateleur (flagship): single-vineyard Chardonnay from the 1987 Clos des Mouches block, barrel-fermented and matured 12 months in French oak

The Bateleur Chardonnay is the wine that established De Wetshof's international reputation and one of the benchmark single-vineyard Chardonnays of the southern hemisphere. The vineyard takes its name from the bateleur eagle, the regal short-tailed raptor that nests in the Robertson region and was South Africa's Bird of the Year in 2007. Danie de Wet planted the 3.5 hectare block in July 1987 using clones from the Hospices de Beaune's legendary Clos des Mouches vineyard, imported through proper certified channels at a time when South African Chardonnay was overwhelmingly virus-affected. The vines are now more than 35 years old and yield naturally low quantities of small, concentrated berries. Bateleur is whole-bunch pressed, barrel-fermented with native yeasts in new and older French oak barriques, and aged on its fine lees for 12 months. The wine combines white peach, honeysuckle and dried lemon peel with a flinty chalky mineral length, and tastings of older vintages have demonstrated 15-plus years of cellar life. Bateleur consistently scores in the mid-90s in the Tim Atkin South Africa Report and Platter's Wine Guide.

• Named for the bateleur eagle that nests in Robertson; South Africa's Bird of the Year in 2007
• 3.5 hectare single vineyard planted July 1987 from Clos des Mouches clones imported through certified channels
• Vines now more than 35 years old; whole-bunch pressed and barrel-fermented in French oak with native yeasts; 12 months on fine lees
• Consistently scores in the mid-90s in the Tim Atkin South Africa Report and Platter's Wine Guide

De Wetshof is recognised internationally as South Africa's leading Chardonnay house and one of the country's most consistently celebrated estates. The Bateleur and Finesse Lesca regularly feature in the top tier of South African Chardonnay tastings and on Michelin-starred wine lists worldwide. Tim Atkin MW awards the estate Five Star status in his annual South Africa Report, and the Bateleur scores consistently in the mid-90s alongside the very best Cape Chardonnays. De Wetshof is also the institutional memory of Chardonnay in South Africa: Danie de Wet imported the certified plant material that many other estates would later plant, mentored two generations of Cape winemakers and chaired industry bodies including the South African Wine and Brandy Trust through critical reform years. The wines remain remarkable value by international standards. The Limestone Hill is one of the great everyday Chardonnays in the wine world, the Finesse Lesca offers Burgundian craftsmanship at a fraction of a similar Cote de Beaune wine, and the Bateleur is a serious collectible that ages with grace.

• South Africa's leading Chardonnay house by international reputation; wines listed on Michelin-starred wine lists worldwide
• Tim Atkin MW Five Star producer; Bateleur consistently scores in the mid-90s in his annual South Africa Report
• Institutional memory of South African Chardonnay: Danie de Wet imported the certified clones that helped seed the modern Cape Chardonnay industry
• Remarkable value across the range; Bateleur sells for roughly half the price of a comparable Cote de Beaune Premier Cru