Sometimes, the world’s greatest inventions are destined, and in South Africa, we have a history of meeting challenges with ingenuity that leads to greatness!
Such is the story of South Africa’s first Chardonnay Pinot Noir still wine blend that was resourcefully crafted at Haute Cabrière in Franschhoek for the first time in 1994. This year marks the 30th vintage and anniversary of this iconic South African wine that has continued to flourish and inspire other vintners.
DESTINY & INGENUITY
Bringing his love for Champagne wines to Franschhoek, founder of Haute Cabrière, Achim von Arnim, knew that his wines for traditional Cap Classique production needed to be low in alcohol in order to achieve the stunning quality required for Haute Cabrière’s Pierre Jourdan range. This was easy to achieve in Champagne, the coolest and most northern wine region in France, but less so in the hot Cape of South Africa.
While 1994 ushered in a new democracy for South Africa, it also brought an extraordinarily warm growing season. The unpredictable weather caused the grapes’ sugar to skyrocket suddenly and with it, the alcohol levels. All may have seemed lost; however, Achim decided to vinify the grapes and blend the wine. He was “struck by how lovely the young wine was”. “It was backed by intensity and mystique, with a slightly pink colour from the Pinot Noir,” Achim remembers. “Nature had actually given me a gift.”
Challenge gave way to invention, and South Africa’s first vintage of Chardonnay Pinot Noir as a still wine blend was pioneered and bottled under the newly designed Haute Cabrière label.
A WARM RECEPTION
From the moment it appeared on the shelves, the public and critics alike experienced an instant love affair with the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot. It was different, easily drinkable yet uncompromisingly elegant, and a beautiful partner to a dynamic array of dishes.
Since then, the wine blend has passed through the custodianship of three Haute Cabrière Cellar Masters, each leaving their own deft mark on the blend.
THREE DECADES, THREE CELLAR MASTERS
“Wine is, in essence, a distilled story of a cellar master’s dreams and capabilities,” says Achim. His dedicated hands-on approach saw this pioneering wine blend become one of the most beloved and listed white wine blends in South Africa. Working from a single Excel spreadsheet, he’d begin each vintage anew, crafting over 50 potential blends until he found the right combination to meet his iconic standards.
Inheriting the responsibility of the blend from his father as Haute Cabrière’s second-generation Cellar Master, Takuan von Arnim revered the wine saying, “A blend of Chardonnay Pinot Noir is a holy thing”. Having spent 10 years co-blending with his father, Takuan devised a streamlined approach by identifying the best vineyard sites as the basis for each vintage, coaxing out the golden thread. With a light fingerprint, he reduced the Pinot Noir component for a fresher style while still paying respect to the Burgundian cultivars at every turn.
Joining as Winemaker in 2014 and now Haute Cabrière’s third Cellar Master, Tim Hoek introduced extended lees ageing, giving the wine more texture and stability and allowing it to be released with lower residual sugar because of an already existing natural softness. The 30thvintage in 2024 is, therefore, a culmination of three decades of combined creativity, passion, and skill.
A SOUTH AFRICAN ICON
Under the careful hand of Haute Cabrière’s Cellar Masters, Chardonnay Pinot Noir has been made for life’s moments. Today, Haute Cabrière strives to give drinkers the same excitement and ‘aha’ moment as Achim von Arnim experienced when he first sampled the pioneering wine directly from the tank in 1994.
The more dominant Chardonnay adds freshness, acidity, and citrus notes, while Pinot Noir gives the wine power and palate weight with red-fruited complexity. “To me, it’s a magic wine,” says Achim.
“I love how it evolves over time,” adds current Cellar Master, Tim Hoek. “As the years pass, the Chardonnay becomes more prominent. I believe the biggest surprise for most people is how well a five-year-old Chardonnay Pinot Noir drinks.”
Key to its success is its versatility. At only 12.5% ABV, the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir is a true marriage with food, complementing almost every style of dish from spicy chicken and tomato bredie to umfino. Bridging cultures and tastes, the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir has been shared around South African tables for generations. “It’s a wine that brings people together,” says Wine Director Takuan von Arnim. “It’s a wine that encourages you to enjoy the moment you’re in and the people you’re with.”
MARKING THE OCCASION – A NEW RELEASE
In celebration of Haute Cabrière’s 30th vintage Chardonnay Pinot Noir, the estate crafted and launched the Haute Cabrière Heritage 30 Réserve.
An in-depth – and reimagined – take on their pioneering blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this amphora-aged Chardonnay Pinot Noir was blended in the vineyards rather than in the cellar to showcase a true expression of Franschhoek valley terroir through iconic Burgundian grapes.
Only available at the cellar door, this is a small-batch limited release that is sure to become a collector’s item.
“I wanted to showcase the magic of Chardonnay Pinot Noir, the remarkable old vineyards we have on our property, as well as the terroir of the Franschhoek Valley, to the best of our ability,” says Cellar Master Tim Hoek.
Harvested from a Pinot Noir vineyard planted in 1991 and a Certified Old Vine Chardonnay site dating back to 1983, the grapes were whole bunch co-pressed before going into brand-new terracotta amphorae for six months. This wine will be Haute Cabrière’s first field-style blend.
“The Haute Cabrière Heritage 30 Réserve is deconstructing and reconstructing Chardonnay Pinot Noir blends in a higher format,” says Wine Director, Takuan von Arnim.
Small-batch produced and featuring artwork inspired by founder Achim von Arnim’s original 1994 label for the now iconic Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir, this limited-release anniversary edition is available directly from Haute Cabrière for R 550 per bottle.