Rietvallei Wine Estate

Rietvallei Wine Estate is a wine estate in the Robertson Valley, Western Cape, South Africa.

Origins

Acquired in 1864 for his son Jacobus Francois, Alewyn Burger established Rietvallei Wine Estate. The wine estate has been in the same family for 6 generations, and is still personally managed by the Burgers. It is one of the oldest wine farms in the Robertson area, and situated in the Klaasvoogds Valley.

Estate

The estate comprises 250 hectares in total with 130 hectares under vineyard. The estate is still planted with predominantly white noble cultivars covering 75%, with red noble cultivars only 25%. The soil types vary from red calcareous clay-loam, to deep calcareous loam, and some sandy alluvial soil. Rietvallei soils have the capacity to promote concentrated sweetness in the grapes and this enhances the flavour and aroma of the fruit.

Muscadel 1908

Rietvallei Estate was one of the first wine estates in South Africa to plant the Red Muscadel variety of grape, one of its vineyards being over 100 years old, planted in 1908, which is the oldest of its kind in South Africa. A unique single vineyard fortified wine called Rietvallei 1908 Muscadel is made from this specific vineyard. Older vintages of this wine has been on auction at the Nederburg Auction.

The Wines

Wines produced at Rietvallei include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, various red and white blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and a 1908 Red Muscadel. They also produce a number of wines under different labels, such as John B, Stonedale and The Innings (produced in conjunction with Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher). They have received a number of awards, including the 2013 Chard du Monde Gold Medal, and are rated 4th in the World Top 10 rankings.