Rhebokskloof Wine Estate

Rhebokskloof - Rhone in South Africa

Rhebokskloof is situated about 6 km northwest of the Boland town of Paarl. The winery is situated in the folds of Paarl Mountain in a secluded valley facing predominantly north-east and north-west, with some vineyards planted up to 340m above sea level. The winemaker at Rhebokskloof, Rolanie Lotz, is best known for producing outstanding Rhone-style varietals and blends, specialising in Shiraz, but also producing excellent Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc wines.

Rolanie Lotz, the face behind Rhebokskloof

Rolanie was born and raised in Paarl, where her grandfather was one of Paarl's legendary winemakers. She fondly remembers how he planted a special Hanepoot (Muscat d'Alexandria), a vineyard for his grandchildren to play amongst the vines and enjoy the sweet fruit. She undoubtedly inherited her curiosity for grafting vines from her grandfathers, but her love for wine began when her grandfather took her with him when he delivered his grape harvest to the winemakers.

Their main goal is to showcase their unique terroir by preserving Rhebokskloof's natural fruit flavors and grape character as much as possible. In the careful production of each wine, great emphasis is placed on expression, complexity and balance.

The terroir of Rhebokskloof

Due to its location in a relatively warm wine region, 70 percent of the vineyards are planted with red wine varieties and 30 percent with white wine varieties:

• Shiraz
• Pinotage
• Chenin Blanc
• Chardonnay

account for more than 75 percent of the varieties grown on the farm. Lesser known varieties include Mourvèdre, Durif and Carignan.

There are currently 36 hectares of vineyards planted to a selection of espalier and bush vines at Rhebokskloof, allowing for a variety of wine styles. The oldest vineyard on the estate was planted in 2002 and the youngest in 2016, so the vineyards are still relatively young. From a winemaking perspective, this is very interesting because as the vineyards age, the quality of the fruit increases. We are able to be extremely selective in choosing blocks and rows to optimize the fruit quality for our different wines. The grape harvest at Rhebokskloof usually starts at the end of January and ends at the beginning of March. All grapes are hand picked and the bunches are hand sorted to ensure that only the best grapes are used for fermentation and further maturation.

Last but not least... the wines of Rhebokskloof

The estate has three wine lines on offer today:

• Black Marble Hill
• Rhebokskloof
• Flatrock

Both white and red wines can be found in all three lines, as well as a sparkling wine under the Black Marble logo.