Kanonkop Estate Pinotage, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2019

With a reputation for producing some of the Cape’s finest red wines, the heralded Kanonkop Estate is often referred to as a South African “First Growth.” The fourth generation family farm, presently run by brothers Johann and Paul Krige, has been owned and operated by the Sauer-Krige family since the early 1930s.

The name Kanonkop is derived from a “kopje” (small hill) on the property, from which a cannon was fired in the 17th century to announce the arrival of the Dutch East India Company’s trading ships at Table Bay. Upon hearing this signal, local farmers would load their wagons and set off for the harbor to barter their produce. Situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, Kanonkop encompasses just over 100 hectares of vineyards at altitudes of 60 – 120 meters above sea level. Cooling
breezes from False Bay providing natural “air conditioning” for the vineyards, which are planted predominantly on red decomposed granite and Hutton. With their high clay content and excellent water retention properties, these soil types eliminate the need
for irrigation.
Kanonkop boasts some of the Cape’s first commercially planted Pinotage vines, with an average age of over 50 years.