Although South African wines are considered part of the New World, the history of the Western Cape is quite serious and equally fascinating. The first wine was produced in 1659 by the founder of Cape Town, Jan van Riebeek, in an effort to prevent scurvy in Dutch East India Company’s sailors. In 1685, Simon van der Stel created the Constantia Estate, which would inevitably lead to the name of the celebrated Stellenbosch region as well as a source of Napoleon’s favorite dessert wine. Around the same time, the Franschhoek Valley was settled by French Huguenots, escaping religious persecution, who brought with them centuries of winemaking know-how. The valley takes its name from the Dutch translation of, “the French Corner,” and it still boasts nine original French families who began cultivating this hallowed ground over 330 years ago. Today’s Cartology, which purposefully takes its name from the study of maps, is derived from several unique parcels that weave this enchanting lineage of the Western Cape into a wine that is truly a living nectar of history and sense of place.

 

Chris and Suzaan Alheit journeyed the globe in search of wine experiences and adventure before returning to South Africa to craft the purest translation of terroir the country has known in modern times. With a serious tool belt garnered from great winemaking regions around the world, they have chosen to stick by the credo that great wine is made 99% in the vineyard and 1% in the cellar, and the proof is evident in every sip. By cherishing the land and old vines that are centuries in the making, they have captured something distinct, pure and incredibly transparent. 

Comprised of rare, mature dryland bush vines of Chenin Blanc and Semillon from the vineyards of Skurfberg, Perdeberg, Bottelary Hills, Kasteelberg, and Franschhoek, this wine is greater than the sum of its parts but is a profound scrapbook of history and geographical legacy. The oldest heirloom Semillon vines from Franschhoek date to 1936. The low-yielding, high-altitude Skurfberg vines are rooted in iron-rich, red sand, clay, and gravel, delivering incredible sense of place that is only heightened by the age of the vines (35-60 years). The Perdeberg vineyard boasts unmistakable granitic minerality that is some of the most profound in Swartland. In short, Cartology blends some of the finest terroir across the Western Cape and is truly a work of art that belongs on any white wine lover’s bucket list.  

 

Chris and Suzaan’s current cellar is based on the mountaintop of Hemelrand where they are surrounded by olive groves, lavender fields, and vines. It is here where they let nature take its course in crafting their wines without the use of artificial yeasts, acidification, enzymes, tannins or any element that tarnishes the true voice of what the vines have to offer. As they explain it,“We hope to make wines that have ample power, but no excess weight - something akin to a gymnast, rather than a sumo wrestler.” The grapes are whole-bunch pressed and undergo fermentation naturally in entirely neutral oak. The wine is not racked and allowed to age on its lees for ten months before it is bottled without fining or filtration. Following seven months of bottle age, the wine is finally released. The result is a wine that encapsulates everything that first endeared me to South Africa when I graced her shores five years ago. The forty-hour journey, door-to-door, was rewarded with an experience I will never forget, and this wine is an unadulterated testament to the sheer wonder of this extraordinary place.