Summary
Stellenrust is one of South Africa's largest family-run wine estates and a fixture in Stellenbosch. On a property of around 400 hectares, some 200 of them under vine, the estate farms two very different sites: the Golden Triangle at the foot of the Helderberg, famous for red wine, and the cooler, maritime Bottelary Hills. Stellenrust became internationally known above all for its Chenin Blancs from old bush vines – led by a barrel-fermented Chenin from a vineyard planted in 1964. The estate is run by Kobie van der Westhuizen and cellar master Tertius Boshoff.
History
The history of the land goes back a long way: in 1692 it was granted to Douwe Gerbrand Steyn, who worked as master stonemason on the building of the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town and was among the first settlers to plant vines and make wine at the Cape. The family registered the name Stellenrust – roughly "finding rest in Stellenbosch" – as a trademark in 1928; the historic label that still adorns one of the house's sweet wines dates from that year too.
Over generations the estate stayed in family hands and grew into one of the country's largest private wine estates. Around 2005, Kobie van der Westhuizen and Tertius Boshoff took over the helm and consistently focused Stellenrust on quality and origin. Today the estate exports to more than 30 countries. Its social commitment is also remarkable: Stellenrust is Fairtrade-certified and has carried out an empowerment project through which around 70 long-standing employees became owners of vineyard land themselves.
Location & Terroir
About half of the vineyards lie in the Golden Triangle between Stellenbosch and the Helderberg – an area known for some of the best red wine soils in South Africa. Decomposed granite, good drainage and warm days produce powerful, ripe reds from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Pinotage here.
The other half is in the Bottelary Hills north-west of town. Sandy clay soils and cooling breezes from the Atlantic and False Bay create ideal conditions there for white wines with freshness and tension. The Bottelary Hills are considered one of the best addresses for old Chenin Blanc at the Cape – and this is also where the estate's oldest bush vines grow, including a Chenin vineyard planted in 1964.
Style & Philosophy
Tertius Boshoff sees himself as a custodian of old vines: the old vines, as his credo goes, know best how to express their fruit in each vintage – the cellar merely has to shepherd that knowledge gently into the bottle. Accordingly, the top wines rely on spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, maturation in barrique and a combination of reductive and oxidative winemaking that gives the Chenin Blanc texture and depth.
The range is clearly tiered: the approachable Kleine Rust line is the entry point, followed by the Premium and Super Premium wines as well as limited bottlings. The artisanal JJ Handmade series is made in very small quantities largely without machinery, with the juice moved by gravity.
Notable Sites & Wines
The estate's most important wines come from its two sites in Bottelary and the Golden Triangle:
- Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc – from the Bottelary vineyard planted in 1964; the number on the label (such as 57 or 59) states the age of the vines
- Chenin Blanc from old bush vines – the more approachable expression of the old Bottelary vines
- Cornerstone Pinotage – from selected Pinotage grapes from Stellenbosch
- Timeless – a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc
- Peppergrinder's Shiraz and Old Bush Vine Cinsaut – spicy reds from warm and old vineyards respectively
- Clement de Lure Brut – a Cap Classique from Chenin Blanc modelled on Crémant de Loire
- Chenin d'Muscat Noble Late Harvest – nobly sweet, with the historic 1928 label
Awards
Stellenrust has for years been one of South Africa's regularly decorated producers. The barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc from the 1964 vines in particular has already received five-star ratings in South Africa's Platter's wine guide and is repeatedly honoured at international competitions. Stellenrust thus stands for the renaissance of old Chenin Blanc that has made South Africa one of the most exciting white wine countries in the world in recent years.
