Meerlust Estate

Meerlust was founded in 1693 when German immigrant Henning Huising settled on a granite outcrop near False Bay and named the property Meerlust, meaning 'pleasure of the sea.' The estate entered Myburgh family ownership in 1756 and has remained with the family across eight uninterrupted generations. It was seventh-generation Nico Myburgh who transformed Meerlust into a fine wine estate, bottling the first wine under the Meerlust label from the 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon vintage and releasing it in 1978. Nico died in 1988 at the age of 64, and his son Hannes, then 31, took over stewardship, a role he continues today. The estate's Cape Dutch manor house and cellars are designated a national monument.

• Founded 1693 by German immigrant Henning Huising; named 'Meerlust' for the estate's proximity to False Bay, just 5 km from the coast
• Myburgh family ownership dates from 1756, spanning eight generations to current custodian Hannes Myburgh, who took over in 1988 at age 31 after his father Nico's death
• First estate-labelled wine was the 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon, released in 1978, the same year Giorgio Dalla Cia joined as winemaker
• Cape Dutch manor house, classical wine cellar, rose gardens, family cemetery, dovecote, and bird sanctuary designated a national monument

Meerlust encompasses 400 hectares in the Eerste River Valley, with 110 hectares planted to vines across four distinct terroir units: Lowlands, Quarry, River Terraces, and Compagniesdrift. The Compagniesdrift section, a 40-hectare north-facing slope with weathered granite soils, forms the backbone of the Rubicon blend. Soils vary across the farm: granite-derived soils on upper sections suit Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, while richer clay-based soils support Merlot, and alluvial soils along the Eerste River carry the Chardonnay vines. The False Bay maritime influence means fewer extreme heat spikes than much of Stellenbosch, allowing steady, even ripening and preserving the herbal lift and graphite minerality characteristic of Meerlust's reds.

• Four terroir units: Lowlands (duplex greywacke/Klapmuts soils), Quarry, River Terraces (sandy with rounded river stones), and Compagniesdrift (40 ha of weathered granite, backbone of Rubicon)
• Granite soils for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc; clay soils for Merlot; alluvial Eerste River soils for Chardonnay; highest, coolest parcels for Pinot Noir
• Maritime climate: continuous ocean breezes and evening mists from False Bay reduce time above 35 degrees C, producing wines with restraint, herbal lift, and graphite minerality
• Meerlust was the first producer in Stellenbosch to plant both Merlot and Cabernet Franc, smuggled in from Bordeaux by Nico Myburgh after his 1967 trip to France

Rubicon was conceived by Nico Myburgh after a 1967 visit to Bordeaux revealed striking similarities in climate and soil between the Medoc and the Eerste River Valley. After years of experimentation with Giorgio Dalla Cia, the quality of the 1980 vintage persuaded the two to commit to the blend. The first commercial release came in 1984 under the name Rubicon, suggested by Professor Dirk Opperman of Stellenbosch University and invoking Julius Caesar's irreversible crossing of the Rubicon River. The original blend was 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc; Petit Verdot was added beginning with the 2008 vintage. The blend varies by vintage: the 2021 was 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, while the 2023 was 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. Each variety is fermented separately in stainless steel before malolactic fermentation in 300-litre French oak barrels, followed by blending and further barrel harmonisation. Rubicon is not made in every vintage and has been declassified to Meerlust Red in 1985, 1990, 2002, 2011, and 2019.

• First vintage 1980, first commercial release 1984; South Africa's oldest Bordeaux blend still in production, pioneering the Cape Bordeaux blend category
• Original blend 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc; Petit Verdot added from 2008; proportions vary significantly by vintage to reflect site and season
• Winemaking: separate fermentations in stainless steel, malolactic fermentation in 300-litre French oak barrels, 8 months barrel aging, then blend assembled and given another 10 months in barrel before bottling
• Not produced in every vintage; declassified to Meerlust Red in 1985, 1990, 2002, 2011, and 2019; aging potential of 10 to 20 years under ideal cellar conditions

Meerlust has had only three cellarmasters across its modern winemaking era, a continuity that underpins the consistency of house style. Giorgio Dalla Cia, an Italian from Friuli, joined Nico Myburgh in 1978 for what was intended as a single season and stayed for 26 years, retiring in 2004. Chris Williams, who had worked as Dalla Cia's assistant from 1995 to 2000 and gained further experience with Michel Rolland in Pomerol, returned in 2004 as head winemaker and served until 2020, overseeing a shift toward lower wood intensity and greater fruit expression. Since May 2020, Wim Truter, formerly head winemaker at KWV, has served as cellarmaster. Truter holds a BSc in Chemistry, Oenology and Viticulture from the University of Stellenbosch and completed an international MSc in Vine, Wine and Terroir Management with stints in France, Italy, and Spain. He is assisted by winemaker Altus Treurnicht and viticulturist Izak Basson.

• Giorgio Dalla Cia (1978 to 2004): Italian from Friuli, joined for one season and stayed 26 years; co-created Rubicon with Nico Myburgh and established the estate's international reputation
• Chris Williams (2004 to 2020): trained under Dalla Cia and Michel Rolland; introduced lower new-oak percentages and a more fruit-forward approach while preserving the classic Rubicon structure
• Wim Truter (2020 to present): former KWV head winemaker; BSc from Stellenbosch University plus international MSc; introduced concrete fermenters and a new vineyard replanting programme
• Current team: Wim Truter (cellarmaster), Altus Treurnicht (winemaker), Izak Basson (viticulturist)

Rubicon's release in 1984 fundamentally repositioned South African wine on the world stage, demonstrating that the Cape could produce a structured, age-worthy red blend capable of rivalling Bordeaux. The wine's international breakthrough coincided with South Africa's post-apartheid reintegration into global wine markets in the 1990s, and Meerlust's US debut in 1993 opened the door for Cape fine wine more broadly. Rubicon 2001 won the Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for Best Blended Red Wine at the 2006 International Wine and Spirits Competition, and was ranked number 27 on Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 wines for that year. Rubicon 2007 became the first vintage of the wine to earn a five-star rating in Platter's South African Wine Guide (2012 edition), and the 2021 vintage also received five stars in the 2024 Platter's guide.

• Rubicon 2001: Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for Best Blended Red Wine, IWSC 2006, and No. 27 on Wine Enthusiast Top 100 for 2006
• Rubicon 2007: first vintage to receive five stars from Platter's South African Wine Guide (2012 edition); Rubicon 2021 also received five stars in the 2024 Platter's guide
• Meerlust's US debut in 1993, marking the farm's 300th anniversary, coincided with South Africa's return to international wine markets after the end of apartheid
• Meerlust was the first South African estate to plant Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and Rubicon remains South Africa's oldest Bordeaux blend still in continuous production

Meerlust welcomes visitors at its tasting room on the Baden Powell Drive (R310), 15 km south of Stellenbosch. A standard tasting of the full range, including Rubicon, is available without booking at a nominal charge per person. Seated VIP tastings, presented by a wine specialist in the private tasting room and including an older library vintage of Rubicon, are available by reservation. The setting combines three centuries of Cape Dutch heritage with a working wine estate atmosphere: the white-gabled manor house, rose gardens, family cemetery, dovecote, and bird sanctuary provide context to one of South Africa's most historically significant wine properties.

• Standard tasting (no booking required): full current range including Rubicon, fee partially refundable on purchase
• Seated VIP tasting (booking required): presented by a wine specialist, includes a library vintage of Rubicon served in Riedel varietal glassware
• Estate features: Cape Dutch manor house, classical wine cellar dating to 1776, rose gardens, family cemetery, dovecote, and bird sanctuary
• Located on Baden Powell Drive (R310), 15 km south of Stellenbosch, with False Bay visible 5 km to the south