Alheit Vineyards Hemelrand Vine Garden 2019

Alheit vineyards believe in farming as close to nature as we can, and encouraging naturally healthy soil. This is paramount in making fine wine. Dead soil gives dead wine. We are privileged to be able to work with some of the most extraordinary dry farmed bushvine vineyards in the Cape. For the most part the plots that we work with are between 30 and 50 years old.
At this age, the vines are mature enough to express their origin with an effortless kind of grace. We really love these old blocks, both because of their quality and because they represent our heritage.Rosa Kruger has been a great help. She spent several years unearthing and polishing some of the hidden treasures of the Cape Winelands. Our bottling called “Cartology” is a quiet tribute to her work.

Winemaker’s notes:
‘Hans Evenhuis planted a vineyard on Hemelrand in the year 2010. We call it Vine Garden. The idea is to bottle the wine just as the vineyard produces it, effectively creating a white field blend that changes every year depending on the vintage conditions. The vineyard was planted in roughly the following proportions: 40 % Chardonnay, 30% Roussanne, 13% Verdelho, 12% Chenin blanc, 3% Viognier, and 2% Muscat Blanc a petit grains. However, as mentioned the proportions of the different grapes produced varies significantly each vintage.  Hemelrand it is situated at 360 meters above sea level, on gravelly clay, and Sandstone. It is cold and windy – a very marginal site. Grapes ripen slowly here. We have high hopes for this place.’ – Chris Alheit