Kanonkop

Kanonkop Wine Estate is situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountain in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa. The property was originally acquired in 1929 by Paul Oliver Sauer, a cabinet minister in the South African parliament and son of J.W. Sauer, who had previously held the same land. Paul Sauer began producing wine on the farm in the 1940s but sold his production in bulk to Stellenbosch Farmers Winery. The name Kanonkop means 'cannon hillock' in Afrikaans, referring to a butte above the farm from which a cannon was fired in the 18th and 19th centuries to alert local farmers of ships arriving in Table Bay, some 30 miles away, and the trading opportunities that followed. Paul Sauer died in January 1976, and the farm passed to his daughter Mary, who had married Jannie Krige, a retired rugby administrator at the University of Stellenbosch. Their sons, Johann and Paul Krige, are the current fourth-generation owners.

• The farm has been in Sauer and Krige family ownership since 1929, making it one of South Africa's longest-established fine wine estates
• The first two wines bottled under the Kanonkop label were a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pinotage from the 1973 vintage
• The estate is situated between the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl, on the lower Simonsberg slopes within the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward

Kanonkop is widely regarded as the South African equivalent of a First Growth or Premier Cru, a reputation built on over 50 years of uncompromising focus on red wine. The estate fundamentally elevated both Pinotage's credibility as a premium, age-worthy variety and South Africa's overall standing in the international fine wine world. In 2018, the Paul Sauer 2015 became the first South African wine to receive a perfect 100-point score from any international critic, awarded by British Master of Wine Tim Atkin. In 2023, the estate won Decanter's Classic Red Wine of the Year for its 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. Kanonkop was named 12th most admired wine brand in the world by Drinks International in 2024, the only South African producer on that year's list, and climbed to 24th in the 2025 edition alongside one other South African brand.

• The Paul Sauer Bordeaux blend, first produced in the 1981 vintage under Beyers Truter, is broadly regarded as South Africa's benchmark Bordeaux-style red
• Kanonkop has won the IWSC International Winemaker of the Year trophy four times across its three most recent winemakers
• Decanter named the Kanonkop 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon its Classic Red Wine of the Year 2023, underlining the estate's range beyond Pinotage

The Kanonkop home farm covers 125 hectares, with 95 hectares planted to vines, positioned on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountain at elevations that benefit from cool air flowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. Half of the 95 hectares under vine are Pinotage, many vines being at least 50 years old and all trained as bush vines to maximise sunlight exposure and natural canopy regulation. The remaining vineyard is planted to 35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5 percent each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Soils are predominantly red decomposed granite, with Hutton and Clovelly soil types also present, providing excellent drainage and the mineral structure that gives Kanonkop reds their characteristic backbone. A single Pinotage vineyard, planted in 1953, provides the fruit for the Black Label Pinotage. Following the 2022 acquisition of neighbouring Laibach, now operating as Ladybird Vineyards, the total estate footprint expanded to 130 hectares, with that property dedicated to Kadette production.

• 95 hectares under vine on the home farm: 50% Pinotage (bush vines, many 50+ years old), 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% each Merlot and Cabernet Franc
• Decomposed granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils deliver excellent drainage, mineral structure, and dark-fruit expression characteristic of the Simonsberg ward
• The Black Label Pinotage is sourced exclusively from a single vineyard block planted in 1953, producing small berries with highly concentrated flavours

Kanonkop has had only four head winemakers in over 50 years of estate bottling. Jan 'Boland' Coetzee joined in November 1968 and made the first estate-bottled wines from the 1973 vintage. Beyers Truter succeeded him in 1980, created the first Paul Sauer blend from the 1981 harvest, and pioneered Kanonkop's systematic approach to Pinotage, including the use of new French oak. Abrie Beeslaar joined in 2002, took over as head winemaker in 2003, and departed at the end of November 2024 to focus on his own label, Beeslaar Wines. In November 2024, Francois van Zyl, who previously ran neighbouring Laibach Vineyards for 26 years, was appointed as the fourth head winemaker. Throughout all four tenures, the core cellar philosophy has remained unchanged: open-top concrete fermenters, manual punch-downs every two hours on the estate range, and maturation exclusively in new French oak barrels. The open concrete fermentation tanks at the heart of the cellar date back to the 1940s.

• All estate-range wines ferment in wide, open-top concrete vats with manual punch-downs every two hours for maximum colour and tannin extraction
• Estate wines are matured in 100% new 225-litre French oak barrels for 18 to 24 months; Kadette wines use older oak for 12 months
• Francois van Zyl studied at Elsenburg Agricultural College, worked vintages in Rioja, Pomerol, Margaux, Slovenia, and Serbia before joining Kanonkop in November 2024

The estate produces two tiers of wine: the Estate range and the Kadette range. The Estate range comprises the Paul Sauer, Estate Pinotage, Black Label Pinotage, and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, all made entirely from Kanonkop's own older vineyards and designed for extended cellaring. The Paul Sauer is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, first released from the 1981 vintage and aged for 24 months in 100 percent new French oak; its 2015 vintage was the first South African wine to receive 100 points from Tim Atkin MW. The Kadette range is a second label sourced from contracted growers across Stellenbosch, including from the Ladybird Vineyards facility, and offers wines in an approachable, earlier-drinking style. Kanonkop exports to over 70 countries and has appeared on the Drinks International World's Most Admired Wine Brands list five times.

• Paul Sauer = Bordeaux blend (predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc), first vintage 1981, aged 24 months in 100% new French oak; 2015 vintage scored 100 points by Tim Atkin MW
• Kadette Cape Blend requires a minimum 30% Pinotage under South African Cape Blend classification rules, alongside Bordeaux varieties
• The 2019 Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon was named Decanter's Classic Red Wine of the Year 2023, one of the highest accolades a South African red wine has received from that publication

Johann and Paul Krige, sons of Jannie Krige and Mary Sauer (daughter of Paul Sauer), are the fourth-generation owners of Kanonkop. Paul Krige joined the farm in 1984, while Johann came into the business in the 1980s after studying at Stellenbosch University. A fifth generation, including Johann's daughters Helene and Marcia and Paul's children Sauer and Suzaan, are already involved or working toward roles at the estate; Suzaan Krige is studying oenology and viticulture at Stellenbosch University and has joined the cellar team. Under Abrie Beeslaar's 23-year tenure, production grew from approximately 300,000 bottles to 3 million annually. Today the estate processes around 3,000 tonnes of grapes per season, sourced from both the home farm and contracted growers across Stellenbosch. The 2022 acquisition of Laibach, operating as Ladybird Vineyards, increased the estate footprint to 130 hectares and gave the Kadette range a dedicated production facility.

• Paul Sauer, the estate patriarch, died in January 1976; the farm passed to his daughter Mary Krige, and is now run by her sons Johann and Paul, the fourth generation
• Production grew from 300,000 to 3 million bottles under Beeslaar (2002–2024); the estate exports to over 70 countries worldwide
• The 2022 acquisition of Laibach (now Ladybird Vineyards) expanded the total estate to 130 hectares and created a dedicated home for Kadette production