La Motte Wine Estate

La Motte's recorded history reaches back to 1695, when the Cape Governor granted the land to Hans Hendrik Hattingh, a German immigrant who had settled at the Cape de Goede Hoop. The defining moment came in 1709, when French Huguenot Pierre Joubert (originally from La Motte d'Aigues in the Vaucluse region of Provence) purchased the property and gave it the name that has endured for more than three centuries. The Huguenot connection is central to La Motte's identity and to the broader story of the Franschhoek Valley. Formal viticulture took root in 1752 when Gabriel du Toit planted 4,000 vines. The Manor House and the Jonkershuis date to this period, as does the Water Mill, and the original Historic Cellar followed in 1782. La Motte was farmed by successive Cape Dutch families through the 18th and 19th centuries before passing through a series of owners in the early 20th century. The estate's modern era began in 1970 with the acquisition by Dr. Anton Rupert.

• Land grant to Hans Hendrik Hattingh in 1695; one of the oldest deeded farms in the Franschhoek Valley
• Pierre Joubert's 1709 purchase brought Huguenot ownership and the Provencal name La Motte (after La Motte d'Aigues)
• Formal viticulture began in 1752 when Gabriel du Toit planted 4,000 vines
• Four provincial heritage monuments preserved on the estate: Manor House (c.1751), Jonkershuis (c.1752), Historic Cellar (c.1782), Water Mill (1752 to 1793)

Dr. Anton Rupert (1916 to 2006) acquired La Motte in 1970 and immediately set about restoring the property as a modern producer of fine wine. Anton was a giant of 20th-century South African business, founder of Rembrandt Group (later Remgro and Richemont) and a globally respected conservationist who co-founded WWF South Africa and championed peace-park initiatives across the continent. La Motte was the first of a small family of Rupert wine estates that would ultimately include neighbouring L'Ormarins (today Anthonij Rupert Wyne), Rupert and Rothschild Vignerons (a joint venture with the Rothschild family of Bordeaux) and the Cape of Good Hope projects. Anton's daughter Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg is the current owner of La Motte. Her husband Hein Koegelenberg serves as Chief Executive Officer and has overseen the estate's evolution into a cultural destination as well as a wine producer, integrating the art gallery, restaurant and historic restoration programme. La Motte sits today at the heart of the Rupert family's deep and continuing investment in South African wine.

• Dr. Anton Rupert (1916 to 2006) purchased La Motte in 1970 and renovated it as a modern wine estate
• Anton co-founded WWF South Africa and was a globally respected industrialist and conservationist
• Current ownership: daughter Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg; her husband Hein Koegelenberg serves as Chief Executive Officer
• La Motte sits within the wider Rupert family wine portfolio alongside Anthonij Rupert Wyne (L'Ormarins) and Rupert and Rothschild Vignerons

The home estate covers 75 hectares in the Franschhoek Valley at elevations between 300 and 400 metres, with a moderate Mediterranean climate. Home plantings include Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Grenache and Mourvedre. Beyond Franschhoek, La Motte sources fruit from a network of cool-climate and high-altitude vineyards across seven South African regions: Walker Bay, Elgin, Darling, Nieuwoudtville, Durbanville and Elim, in addition to the home Franschhoek estate. This sourcing footprint allows the cellar to build a portfolio with regional specificity (Walker Bay for cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, Elim for elegant Syrah, Nieuwoudtville for high-altitude fruit) on a substantial scale of approximately 1,000 tonnes annually. Viticulturist Pietie le Roux oversees the growing programme across the home estate, the Nabot farm in Walker Bay (where organic farming is practised) and the broader sourcing network.

• 75 hectares of home vineyards in Franschhoek at 300 to 400 metres elevation; moderate Mediterranean climate
• Estate plantings span Rhone (Syrah, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvedre) and Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot) varieties plus Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Fruit sourced from seven South African regions: Franschhoek, Walker Bay, Elgin, Darling, Nieuwoudtville, Durbanville and Elim
• Approximately 1,000 tonnes of grapes processed annually; viticulturist Pietie le Roux oversees vineyard programmes

The Pierneef Collection is the heart of the La Motte portfolio and the most distinctive expression of the estate's commitment to South African art and culture. The collection is named in honour of Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886 to 1957), one of South Africa's most celebrated landscape painters and a defining figure of Afrikaans visual culture. The Rupert family holds one of the most significant private Pierneef collections in the country, much of it on display in the estate museum. Pierneef's distinctive stylised landscapes appear on the labels of every Pierneef Collection wine. The collection's signature bottling is the Pierneef Syrah-Viognier, a co-fermented Rhone-style red that has become one of La Motte's most recognised wines internationally. Other Pierneef Collection wines include a Sauvignon Blanc (drawing on the cooler Walker Bay and Elim fruit), a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir from cooler sources, alongside vintage-variable Cap Classique and dessert releases. The collection sits in a clear, defined house style: classical, French-influenced, restrained and ageworthy.

• Pierneef Collection named for Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886 to 1957), one of South Africa's most celebrated landscape painters
• Pierneef labels feature his stylised South African landscapes; the Rupert family owns one of the country's most significant Pierneef collections
• Pierneef Syrah-Viognier is the signature wine: co-fermented Rhone-style red drawing on Franschhoek and cooler sites
• Wider Pierneef Collection includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and selected dessert and sparkling bottlings

Above the Pierneef Collection sits the Hanneli R, La Motte's most ambitious wine and a tribute to owner Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg. The Hanneli R is a Rhone-style flagship blend (typically Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre) that has accumulated multiple international medals and consistently sits among the most acclaimed wines in the South African Rhone canon. La Motte also produces a Cap Classique (Methode Cap Classique sparkling wine), reflecting the Rupert family's broader interest in classical French wine styles. The classic La Motte range, the estate's anchor tier, includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and a Millennium Bordeaux-style red blend. Limited dessert wines (including a sweet Vin de Joie and Straw Wine) appear in some vintages. Across the portfolio, Edmund Terblanche (Winemaker and Cellar Master) emphasises classical restraint, oak integration and the long-cellar potential of South African Syrah and Bordeaux varieties.

• Hanneli R: flagship Rhone-style blend (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre) named in honour of owner Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg
• La Motte Cap Classique: traditional-method sparkling wine reflecting the estate's classical French orientation
• Classic range includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and the Millennium Bordeaux-style red blend
• Winemaker Edmund Terblanche emphasises restraint, oak integration and long cellaring potential across the portfolio

La Motte was an early adopter of formal sustainability programmes in the Cape, and the Rupert family's broader conservation legacy runs deep through the estate. La Motte holds ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification (one of the few South African wine estates to do so) and is a WWF Conservation Champion. The estate is a member of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative. Organic farming is fully practised at the Nabot farm in Walker Bay, with biological and increasingly organic practices being introduced across the 75 hectares of home Franschhoek vineyards. Beyond viticulture, La Motte functions as a cultural destination. The historic Manor House and other monuments are open to visitors. The estate runs a museum showcasing the Pierneef collection and other Rupert family art holdings, and the Pierneef a La Motte restaurant has become a benchmark of Cape Winelands hospitality, with a focus on heritage Cape cuisine and farm produce.

• ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification and WWF Conservation Champion status
• Member of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative; organic farming at the Nabot farm in Walker Bay
• Biological and increasingly organic practices introduced across the 75 hectares of home Franschhoek vineyards
• Heritage destination: art museum, four provincial monuments, and Pierneef a La Motte restaurant focused on heritage Cape cuisine