Located in the Walker Bay region of South Africa, Alheit Vineyards is a family-run estate established in 2011 by Chris and Suzaan Alheit. Driven by the desire to achieve the most authentic expression of this exceptional terroir, the couple make white wines that are now among the most compelling South African wines.
Location and size of Alheit Vineyards
Alheit Vineyards oversees a 21 hectare vineyard spread over multiple vineyards in Walker Bay, South Africa's iconic wine region.
What is the history of Domaine Alheit Vineyards?
After meeting at Stellenbosch University, Chris and Suzaan Alheit, who are passionate about winemaking, travelled the world (California, Australia, Germany, France) to develop their winemaking skills while continuing to hone their skills with Eben Sadie, one of South Africa's leading winemakers. The couple moved to Hemelrand Farm, near Hermanus, in 2010 with the ambition of unlocking the potential of South Africa's old Chenin and Semillon vineyards. The Alheits are partners in both the winery and the vineyard, and are surrounded by other passionate winemakers, including Peter Allan Finlayson of Crystallum Estate. Chris and Suzaan Alheit unveiled their first vintage in 2011 with Cartology, which quickly propelled the estate to the forefront of the international wine scene.
All you need to know about the terroir of Domaine Alheit Vineyards
An exceptional vineyard of many facets
The Alheit family vineyard covers 21 hectares of vines spread over 8 vineyards in the Western Cape: Skurfberg, with red clay and sand soil, Piekenierskloof, Paardeberg, Bottelary Hills with steep granite slopes and some schist, Tygerberg, Franschhoek with quartz-rich sandstone and granite soil, False Bay with maritime influences and Hemel & Aarde. The majority of the vineyards are old, unirrigated, goblet vine-trained Chenin Blanc vines, some of which are more than five hours' drive from the estate's cellars. They are carefully selected for their varied terroir and unique heritage.
The expression of illustrious grape varieties
The Alheits have a passion for the old South African white grape varieties Chenin Blanc and Semillon. The first plantations date back to 1659 with Jan van Riebeeck, governor of the Dutch East India Company. Since then, several generations of winegrowers, by selecting the best strains before the era of nurseries, have modified the genetics of the Chenin, which has then moved away from the original variety, giving it a strong and unique regional identity. Chris and Suzaan Alheit express the aromatic expression and identity of these grape varieties with a rare refinement through high quality wines.
Non-interventionist growing practices
Inspired by the viticultural models discovered in Europe, particularly in Burgundy, the Alheits are convinced that the quality and expression of a wine come entirely from its terroir. They therefore concentrate most of their work on the rigorous management of their vineyards. The vines are pruned in a goblet shape and are neither thinned out nor irrigated. The soil is cared for by mulching and manuring.
Minimalist winemaking
The vinification process is minimalist in order to let each wine reflect the expression of its terroir of origin. Fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts. No additions are made during the elaboration of the vintages. No yeast, no enzymes, no acidification, no sulphur before fermentation, except for a little sulphur dioxide at the end of the vinification. The whole bunch pressing is light in order to bring out the complexity and purity of the fruit. After racking, the juice is transferred to old oak barrels so that the wines are not overly marked by woody notes.
The style of Alheit Vineyards wines
Chris and Suzaan Alheit's wines are a pure and authentic expression of the nuances of each Cape terroir, and their uniqueness lies in the subtle combination of finesse, structure and balance.
Cartology, the estate's historic wine, traces the Cape's regional identity through the blending of all the estate's old vineyards, like an exploration map.
Hemelrand Vine Garden is made from a single plot of land planted with different grape varieties, the blend of which changes with each vintage.
Hereafter Here is a wine made exclusively from the estate's young vines. The Nautical Dawn wine, whose vineyard has small granite domes from which the sea can be seen from 4 kilometres away, offers a lively expression with a sweet salinity. Finally, Fire by Night, from the Nuwedam vineyard in Paardeberg with its pure old granite soil, offers notes of fynbos, a characteristic Cape vegetation.
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