GG_N50_FR

SOUTH AFRICA
VINEYARDS
VISITORS TO WELTEVREDE CAN IMMERSE
THEMSELVES IN THE HISTORY OF
WINEMAKING BEFORE LUNCH AT THE
RESTAURANT CALLED KAPOKBOS
A CURATED EXPERIENCED AWAITS AT WELTEVREDE
Cap Classique. Curated educational experiences
introduce their wines in a global context of wine
history, Champagne and the emergence of South
Africa’s own Cap Classique category. Visitors can
also indulge in a hands-on experience, followed
by lunch.
Proprietor-winemaker Philip Jonker has been
committed to making Cap Classique since the
beginning of his winemaking career. Still, it was
time for refreshment after 110 years, he says.
“We were ready to materialise the vision we’ve
created in our mind’s eye. Weltevrede is arguably
the longest-existing family wine brand in South
Africa, with a captivating story that needed to be
told more interactively. As custodians, we must
share our fascination with our terroir in a way that
conveys the wonder, the attention to detail, and
the humility,” Jonker explains.
The arid limestone geology of this Bonnievale-Robertson
terroir laid the foundation for their pursuit
of excellence, creating Chardonnay with a distinct
lime-like vibrance and minerally aftertaste.
Their serious pursuit for quality Chardonnay was
acknowledged by Gilbert & Gaillard, scoring The
Poet’s Prayer 2021 a well-deserved 92 points, and
both the Place of Rocks 2021 and The Ring Brut
scored 91 points.
“The broken shale slopes with calcrete deposits on
Weltevrede bear complex and elegant Chardonnays.
We have an Old World style, creating Cap
Classique with a pure, crystalline clarity. Stylistically,
we regard the Calcrete Chardonnay in the
same context as Chablis, our Place of Rocks Chardonnay
in the league of a good Meursault, while
with the Poet’s Prayer, we aspire to the intrigue like
a Grand Cru from the Côte de Beaune.”
Weltevrede launched its first Philip Jonker Brut
Cap Classique 26 vintages ago when Jonker
bewedded his bride, Lindelize. It was also the
first wine he made at Weltevrede and serves as a
constant reminder and celebration of their bond
of love.
The Poet’s Prayer is made from a small selection
of old vines on lime-rich soils that offers
that ethereal balance they are after, with intensity
and complexity wrapped up in a luminous
82 WINTER 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE