Erika’s aspiration is to create wines which skilfully convey South Africa’s unique vineyard sites and extraordinary diversity – to capture a sense of provenance, whilst respectfully reflecting the intrinsic character of the fruit.
By sourcing and selecting special vineyard sites across the Western Cape winelands, and pairing them with the most suitable varieties, she has produced wines that embody the very best of these distinctive and diverse regions.
This hand-crafted range delivers terroir specific wines of limited quantities where the approach is one of meticulous attention to detail and achieving the utmost in quality. Balance, length and concentration are paramount and every bottle is a journey towards a sense of place and a celebration of a moment in time.
Groenekloof is situated near Darling on the West Coast and consists of a series of hills running parallel to the ocean. This region is particularly well-suited for producing outstanding Sauvignon Blanc. It enjoys a maritime climate and is heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean just a few kilometers to the west.
The region experiences cool and misty mornings followed by warmer daytime temperatures and cooling afternoon breezes that bring relief and refreshment to the grapes. This, along with regular ocean fogs, helps to lengthen the ripening season and allows grapes to retain acidity while developing complex fruit flavors. The stronger south-easterly winds restrict the growth of vegetation in the vines and cause them to grow smaller berries with thicker skins. This also contributes to complexity in the resultant wine.
With fairly consistent weather, cold breezes from the Southern Atlantic Ocean and cool prevailing southwesterly winds, the grapes in the Groenekloof ward are ensured a long, ripening period for maximum aroma development. The deep, red, decomposed granite has a good water holding capacity which is suitable for dryland cultivation. Situated only 8 km from the cold Atlantic Ocean, the Groenekloof vineyards rise to 350 metres above sea level.