You see – sometimes the world’s greatest inventions are destined, and in South Africa, we have a history of meeting challenges with ingenuity that leads to greatness! Such is the story of South Africa’s first Chardonnay Pinot Noir still wine blend. We are honoured to have crafted the OG, the first ever, and still beloved Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir 3 decades ago. This is the story of our iconic pioneering wine blend and a 30th birthday celebration we can all join in on!
Destiny and ingenuity
Our founding cellarmaster, Achim von Arnim, brought his love for Champagne wines to Franschhoek, and he knew that his wines for traditional Cap Classique production needed to be low in alcohol in order to achieve the stunning quality required for Haute Cabrière’s Pierre Jourdan range. This might be easy to achieve in Champagne, the coolest and most northern wine region in France, less so in the hot Cape of South Africa. Not a family to shy away from a challenge, the von Arnims planted their vines and pursued the creation of exceptional Cap Classiques.
But – while 1994 ushered in a new democracy for South Africa, it also brought an extraordinarily warm growing season. The unpredictable weather caused the grapes’ sugar to skyrocket suddenly and with it, the alcohol levels. All may have seemed lost; however, Achim made the decision to vinify the grapes and blend the wine. He was “struck by how lovely the young wine was”. “It was backed by intensity and mystique, with a slightly pink colour from the Pinot Noir,” Achim remembers. “Nature had actually given me a gift.”
And so – challenge gave way to invention, and South Africa’s first vintage of Chardonnay Pinot Noir as a still wine blend was pioneered and bottled under the newly designed Haute Cabrière label! A star was born.
Three decades, three cellarmasters
“Wine is, in essence, a distilled story of a cellar master’s dreams and capabilities,” says Achim. His dedicated hands-on approach saw this pioneering wine blend become one of the most beloved and listed white wine blends in South Africa. Working from a single Excel spreadsheet, he’d begin each vintage anew, crafting over 50 potential blends until he found the right combination to meet his iconic standards.
Inheriting the responsibility of the blend from his father as our second-generation Cellar Master, Takuan von Arnim revered the wine saying, “A blend of Chardonnay Pinot Noir is a holy thing”. Having spent 10 years co-blending with his father, Takuan devised a streamlined approach by identifying the best vineyard sites as the basis for each vintage, coaxing out the golden thread. With a light fingerprint, he reduced the Pinot Noir component for a fresher style while still paying respect to the Burgundian cultivars at every turn.
Joining us as Winemaker in 2014 and now Haute Cabrière’s third Cellar Master, Tim Hoek introduced extended lees ageing, giving the wine more texture and stability and allowing it to be released with lower residual sugar because of an already existing natural softness. The 30th vintage in 2024 is, therefore, a culmination of 30 years of Chardonnay Pinot Noir and decades of combined creativity, passion, and skill.
A South African Icon
Under the careful hand of Haute Cabrière’s Cellar Masters, our Chardonnay Pinot Noir has been made for life’s moments. Every vintage we strive to give drinkers the same excitement and ‘aha’ moment as Achim experienced when he first sampled the pioneering wine – directly from the tank – in 1994.
The more dominant Chardonnay adds freshness, acidity, and citrus notes, while Pinot Noir gives the wine power and palate weight with red-fruited complexity. “To me, it’s a magic wine,” says Achim.
“I love how it evolves over time,” adds current Cellar Master, Tim Hoek. “As the years pass, the Chardonnay becomes more prominent. I believe the biggest surprise for most people is how well a five-year-old Chardonnay Pinot Noir drinks.”
Key to its success is its versatility. At only 12.5% ABV, the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir is a true marriage with food, complementing almost every style of dish from spicy chicken and tomato bredie to umfino. Bridging cultures and tastes, the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir has been shared around South African tables for generations.
“It’s a wine that brings people together,” says Wine Director Takuan von Arnim. “It’s a wine that encourages you to enjoy the moment you’re in and the people you’re with.”
Click HERE to shop the 2024 Chardonnay Pinot Noir.