In the words of Alex Starey, “All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Most of the vineyard parcels grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite and are surrounded by indigenous vegetation. They lie between 250 and 400 metres above sea level at the top of the valley between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountain ranges and have a variety of aspects from North East to West facing. Small batches of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently with minimal intervention in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 27 months maturing in seasoned French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without fining or filtration on 11 June 2020. A total of 10847 bottles and 50 magnums were produced.”

VINTAGE REPORT

Winter temperatures leading up to the 2020 harvest were moderate, with below average rainfall. Fortunately, there was a wet Spring which prompted the vines to grow strong and develop a decent size crop. Early season was marked by erratic temperatures with several heat spikes. These factors made farming quite tough with increased pressure from disease and insects. The vineyard team worked hard to prepare a healthy crop.

Mid-Summer temperatures were moderate, although they did experience a short heat wave in January. This was followed by a gale-force South-East wind which hammered the vineyards. This resulted in the grapes ripening quickly. Although they started picking at a normal time, by 10 March all the grapes had been picked.