By Carla van der Merwe, www.wine.co.za

This month we look at wines that were made in small quantities, either from boutique cellars, single vineyards or garagiste winemakers. The six wine farms that we chose to focus on are Edgebaston, Chabivin, Jacobsdal, Remhoogte, Ridgeback and Jordan.

Edgebaston

Edgebaston wines are made by David Finlayson on the Finlayson family farm in Stellenbosch. The farm comprises 29 hectares of which 22 hectares are under vine. Eleven different cultivars are planted on Edgebaston, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Shiraz. The Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is made from two outstanding clones of Cabernet Sauvignon planted as “Mother Blocks” for the South African vineyard industry due to their suitability to the deep red clay soils on Edgebaston.

Chabivin
Hendrik Snyman is the winemaker at Chabivin Champagne and MCC House. Chabivin first started producing MCC’s in 2009 and Hendrik uses his international knowledge to produce world class bubbly. The unusual Chabivin MCC NV goes against convention and is made from Semillon rather than the traditional Chardonnay and Pinot noir cultivars. Chabivin is situated on the Blaauwklippen road and is open for tastings and sales.

Jacobsdal
The Dumas family has been making wine on the estate for three generations. Present owner Cornelis Dumas makes wines together with his son, Hannes who will eventually take over the reins. The family believes in producing wines that are truly handmade. Wines like their Jacobsdal Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 are made using natural yeast. The grapes are sourced from dry land bushvines that are between 11 and 16 years old. To watch Cornelis explain their winemaking principles please click here.

Remhoogte
Family owned Remhoogte has a total of 33 hectares under vine. The oldest vineyard on the farm is the 25 year old 2ha block of Chenin blanc vines that is used to produce the Remhoogte Honeybunch Chenin Blanc 2011. The low yielding single vineyard “Honeybunch” Chenin walked away with a gold medal at Wednesday’s (30 May) Old Mutual Wine and Trophy Show Awards.

Ridgeback
The 62 hectare boutique farm of Ridgeback is situated roughly 10km’s from Paarl. The tasting room is serenely set with a view of the small dam that houses 25 species of waterfowl. Ridgeback’s quaint facilities and children friendly atmosphere was a real joy to visit. The Ridgeback Cabernet Franc 2008 is a delicious full bodied wine with notes of plum and blackcurrant.

Jordan
Family owned Jordan is run on the principle that good wine is made in the vineyard. The vineyards are therefore carefully managed and the success of the estate can clearly be seen in their recent win of two trophies at the Old Mutual Wine and Trophy Show for Chenin blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Prospector Syrah 2008 is also a fantastic wine crafted from a single sea facing vineyard.

Click here to see pictures and videos of winemakers and their wines.

Remember to check out the Small is Beautiful pressroom for more unique and handcrafted wines this month. Visit www.wine.co.za for this and all things wine on South Africa’s leading wine website. Republished with kind permission.