Meerlust Rubicon: 13 vintages of a pioneering wine

Meerlust is the oldest family business in South Africa. In the hands of the Myburghs continuously since 1756, the property itself dates to 1693 and grapes have been grown and crushed on site since 1704. This sense of history – and its accompanying gravitas – permeates the public perception of the estate and its wines, and rightly so, but does mean that Meerlust’s credentials as a pioneer, having recognised and realised the potential of Bordeaux-style blends in Stellenbosch, are often overlooked.

While vines had been farmed and wine made on Meerlust for centuries, the results were historically traded in bulk or for ‘kitchen consumption.’ It was seventh-generation Nico Myburgh, the father of current proprietor Hannes Myburgh, who had the vision to begin production of his own labelled estate wine, bottling three barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1975 vintage and releasing this to the market in 1978.

The first estate wine may have been made from a single variety but the wheels were already turning for Myburgh to achieve his dream of making a Bordeaux-style red. A trip to Bordeaux in 1967 was the catalyst, opening Myburgh’s eyes to the similarities in both climate and soil that exist between maritime Bordeaux and Meerlust’s home in the Eerste River Valley in Stellenbosch, 5.2km away from False Bay. Cabernet Sauvignon was already in the ground but a few years after that pivotal Bordeaux holiday, he planted Merlot and Cabernet Franc as well, making Meerlust the first producer to plant Cabernet Franc in Stellenbosch. The inaugural experimental three-way blend, comprising 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, was made by Myburgh and winemaker Giorgio Dalla Cia in 1978. The proportions were modelled simply on the average ratio of plantings in Bordeaux at the time.

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