“We follow the story of our terroir, so that every vintage is a true expression of the vineyard,” shared marketing director Abigail Rands. “Each year we look back to what the previous year has taught us, while at the same time we look forward to the story of the soil unfolding along with the new vintage.”
In 2016 we released South Africa’s first site specific Cap Classique to further underscore our commitment to making vintage-only bottle-fermented sparkling wines. A pure expression of mountain-born chardonnay the Krone Kaaimansgat Blanc de Blancs 2016 hailed from the iconic Kaaimansgat vineyard near Villiersdorp. The newly released 2018 also springs from this high altitude blind valley, situated 700-metres above sea level.
“Kaaimansgat is a site of extremes,” commented Gretschel. “The old, unirrigated vines are planted on the steep foothills of the mountains. In winter the mountains encircling the vineyards are covered in snow, in summer the day temperatures are warm and sunny, the nights cool to cold: ideal conditions for later ripening of the grapes, producing wines with a strong acidity at full ripeness and low pH, perfect for making superlative Cap Classique.”
Another distinct chardonnay site has now been isolated at our home farm, Twee Jonge Gezellen. Following an extensive replanting programme, with the assistance of legendary vineyard consultant Rosa Kruger, sees the release of the inaugural Twee Jonge Gezellen Blanc de Blancs 2019.