Kanonkop

The Kanonkop story begins in 1929, when South African cabinet minister Paul Oliver Sauer took ownership of the bare farmland on the lower slopes of Simonsberg that his mother had previously held. Sauer began planting vines in the 1940s, but for decades sold his fruit in bulk to Stellenbosch Farmers Winery, where it disappeared into commercial brands such as Chateau Libertas. The decisive turn came in 1973, when Sauer's son-in-law Jannie Krige persuaded him to bottle Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage under the Kanonkop name, partly to capitalise on the celebrity of new winemaker Jan 'Boland' Coetzee, a Springbok rugby player. Paul Sauer died in January 1976 as the fourth estate harvest was being brought in. The farm passed to his daughter Mary, who had married Jannie Krige, and is run today by their sons Johann and Paul Krige, the fourth-generation custodians. Johann completed a BA LLB and MBA at Stellenbosch, did an export stint at the KWV, and joined Kanonkop in 1990 to lead the commercial side. Paul studied at Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute and arrived at the farm in 1984. A fifth generation, including Paul's daughter Suzaan, who is reading oenology and viticulture at Stellenbosch, is already involved in the cellar.

• Paul Sauer purchased the property in 1929; the name 'Kanonkop' translates as 'cannon hillock', referring to a butte from which a cannon was fired in the 18th and 19th centuries to signal arriving ships in Table Bay
• Estate bottling began with the 1973 vintage, releasing Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage under the Kanonkop label for the first time
• Paul Sauer died in January 1976; the farm passed to his daughter Mary Krige and is now run by her sons Johann (joined 1990) and Paul (joined 1984)
• Paul Sauer served in the South African parliament for over 40 years and was a prominent advocate for the Cape wine industry

Kanonkop sits in the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward, an officially demarcated sub-region wrapping the southern and western slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain on decomposed granite at elevations from roughly 100 to 1,200 metres. The home farm spans 125 hectares total, with 95 hectares under vine and a sole focus on red varieties. Plantings are approximately half Pinotage (bush vines, many over 50 years old and dry-farmed), 35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7.5 percent each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Soils are predominantly decomposed granite with Hutton and Clovelly types, delivering the drainage, mineral grip, and dark-fruit concentration that define the ward's house style. A single Pinotage block planted in 1953 supplies the fruit for the Black Label, among the oldest surviving Pinotage vineyards in the world. The southeasterly Cape Doctor wind and the cooling influence of False Bay roughly 20 kilometres south moderate summer temperatures and preserve acidity. The 2022 acquisition of neighbouring Laibach (now Ladybird Vineyards) expanded the total estate footprint to 130 hectares and now houses Kadette production.

• Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward; decomposed granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain
• 95 hectares under vine on the home farm: 50% Pinotage (bush vines, many 50+ years old), 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 7.5% Cabernet Franc
• Black Label Pinotage block planted in 1953; dry-farmed bush vines yielding as little as 2.8 tons per hectare; among the world's oldest surviving Pinotage plantings
• Cape Doctor southeasterly wind and False Bay maritime cooling preserve acidity and reduce disease pressure; total footprint 130 hectares since the 2022 Laibach acquisition

Kanonkop's cellar discipline is built on consistency, modesty of intervention, and equipment that mostly dates to the original 1940s build. All estate-range red wines ferment in open-top concrete tanks of 10-ton capacity, with manual punch-downs every two hours and temperature capped at 29 degrees Celsius via metallic floor coolers. Wines undergo malolactic fermentation before maturation in 225-litre French oak barrels: the Paul Sauer and Black Label Pinotage sit for 24 and 18 months respectively in 100 percent new French oak (a practice Beyers Truter introduced in the mid-1990s after his 1991 IWSC breakthrough), while the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Pinotage spend 18 to 24 months. The Kadette range, sourced from contracted growers and the Ladybird Vineyards facility, sees older oak for around 12 months. Pinotage is sterile-filtered after malolactic fermentation to guard against the bacterial faults to which the variety is prone, and optical sorting was added in 2015. Just four head winemakers have run the cellar over more than 50 vintages: Jan 'Boland' Coetzee (1968 to 1980), Beyers Truter (1980 to 2003), Abrie Beeslaar (2002 to November 2024), and Francois van Zyl, who previously ran neighbouring Laibach for 26 years and took over in November 2024.

• Open-top 10-ton concrete fermenters dating to the 1940s; manual punch-downs every 2 hours; temperature capped at 29 degrees Celsius
• Paul Sauer aged 24 months in 100% new 225-litre French oak; Black Label Pinotage aged 18 months in 100% new oak; mid-1990s introduction of all-new oak followed Beyers Truter's 1991 IWSC win
• Pinotage receives sterile filtration after malolactic fermentation to prevent bacterial faults inherent to the variety; optical sorting added in 2015
• Four head winemakers over 50+ vintages: Coetzee (1968 to 1980), Truter (1980 to 2003), Beeslaar (2002 to 2024), Van Zyl (November 2024 onward)

The estate range comprises four wines: the Paul Sauer Bordeaux blend, Estate Pinotage, Black Label Pinotage, and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The Paul Sauer, first produced from the 1981 vintage and named after the founding patriarch, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc; blend percentages shift by year, with the 2015 sitting at roughly 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Merlot, and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. It is the estate's most decorated wine and, with its 2015 vintage, the first South African wine ever to receive 100 points from Tim Atkin MW (awarded 2018, also named his Red Wine of the Year). The Black Label Pinotage debuted with the 2006 vintage from the single 1953-planted block, yielding around 1,150 cases per year; the 2009 vintage was never released due to volatile acidity from a cellar cooling failure. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 was named Decanter's Classic Red Wine of the Year 2023. Abrie Beeslaar won the IWSC International Winemaker of the Year trophy three times during his tenure, following Beyers Truter's pioneering 1991 win for the 1989 Kanonkop Pinotage. Tim Atkin classifies Kanonkop as a South African First Growth.

• Paul Sauer: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc; first vintage 1981; 24 months in 100% new French oak; 2015 = first SA wine to score 100 from Tim Atkin MW
• Black Label Pinotage: single 1953-planted block, dry-farmed bush vines; 18 months in 100% new oak; maiden vintage 2006; ~1,150 cases annually
• Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019: Decanter Classic Red Wine of the Year 2023
• Beyers Truter won the 1991 Robert Mondavi Trophy (IWSC International Winemaker of the Year) for the 1989 Kanonkop Pinotage; Abrie Beeslaar won the same trophy three times

Pinotage was created on 17 November 1924 by Professor Abraham Izak Perold at Stellenbosch University as a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, with the first seeds taken in 1925. Paul Sauer had been Perold's student and remained his friend, which is widely credited with bringing Pinotage to its spiritual home at Kanonkop; the estate's earliest plantings date to the 1940s, and the 1953 block now supplying the Black Label is among the world's oldest surviving Pinotage vineyards. The 1989 Kanonkop Pinotage, made by Beyers Truter using new French oak for the first time, became the wine that changed Pinotage's international fortunes when he was named IWSC International Winemaker of the Year in 1991. The Cape Blend, a uniquely South African red blend category requiring 30 to 70 percent Pinotage alongside Bordeaux varieties, is anchored at Kanonkop by the Kadette Cape Blend. The Paul Sauer is not a Cape Blend, as it contains no Pinotage, and is a pure Bordeaux-style expression. Kanonkop today accounts for roughly half its plantings to Pinotage, reflecting the estate's role as the variety's most committed serious-tier champion.

• Pinotage created 17 November 1924 by Professor A.I. Perold (Pinot Noir x Cinsaut); first seeds 1925; first commercial bottling Lanzerac 1959; Paul Sauer was Perold's friend and former student
• Kanonkop's 1953 bush-vine block is among the world's oldest surviving Pinotage plantings; supplies the Black Label exclusively
• Cape Blend = minimum 30%, maximum 70% Pinotage with other varieties; Kadette Cape Blend is Kanonkop's certified Cape Blend; Paul Sauer is NOT a Cape Blend
• 1989 Kanonkop Pinotage (Beyers Truter) won the 1991 IWSC Robert Mondavi Trophy, the international turning point for the variety's reputation

Under Abrie Beeslaar's 23-year tenure (2002 to 2024), Kanonkop's production scaled from approximately 300,000 bottles to roughly 3 million annually, and the estate now ships to over 70 countries. Around 3,000 tonnes of fruit are processed each season from the home farm and contracted growers across Stellenbosch. The 2022 acquisition of Laibach, rebranded as Ladybird Vineyards, gave the Kadette range a dedicated production facility and lifted the total estate footprint to 130 hectares. Kanonkop has appeared five times on the Drinks International World's Most Admired Wine Brands list, climbing to 12th in 2024 (only South African producer that year and the highest climber on the list) and 24th in 2025, alongside one other South African brand. Francois van Zyl took the cellar reins in November 2024 after three vintages working alongside Beeslaar; trained at Elsenburg Agricultural College and seasoned by vintages in Rioja, Pomerol, Margaux, Slovenia, and Serbia, he steps into one of the most demanding winemaking inheritances in the New World.

• Production grew from approximately 300,000 to 3 million bottles under Abrie Beeslaar (2002 to 2024); exports to over 70 countries
• Laibach acquired in 2022 and rebranded as Ladybird Vineyards; total estate footprint now 130 hectares, with Kadette produced from this dedicated facility
• Drinks International World's Most Admired Wine Brands: 12th globally in 2024 (only SA winery, highest climber), 24th in 2025
• Francois van Zyl appointed head winemaker November 2024 after 26 years running neighbouring Laibach; Elsenburg-trained with international vintage experience in Rioja, Pomerol, Margaux, Slovenia, and Serbia