All Chamonix Estate's 36ha of mountain vineyards were replanted three years ago, barring the 0.6ha old Chenin Blanc vineyard, and the now three-year-old Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc vineyards have begun delivering their first crops from which wine is being made for Chamonix’s 2025 vintage.
Stefan van Rooyen, CEO of Chamonix, says the estate has for the past two vintages bought fruit from various regions, including Elgin, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch for its range of wines. They will continue to do so in lessening increments until 2028, when all bottlings under the Chamonix label will once again be wines made from the estate’s own grapes.
"This year’s Chamonix Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay wines will be bottled exclusively from Chamonix Estate grapes," he says. "For the wooded Chardonnay range, these will be blended components made from grapes sourced from Chamonix, as well as other regions."
"But after a three-year hiatus, Chamonix’s own grapes are once again coming into the cellar, and the path to total restoration of our estate vineyards has begun."
Chamonix Estate was founded in 1991 and has over the past three decades staked its claim as a leading Franschhoek producer. The steep slopes on the Franschhoek mountainside where vineyards are planted up to 600m above sea level are complemented by soils of decomposed granite, loam, clay, and slate to create a unique terroir conducive to growing a range of site-specific wine grapes, especially Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
Vineyard age and the prevalence of leaf-roll virus led to the decision in 2022 to remove the old vineyards, barring a patch of Chenin Blanc planted in 1965, and undertake total replanting. Besides Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, Chamonix’s new vineyards incorporate Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Sémillon.
Neil Bruwer, Chamonix’s winemaker, says that taking in the first grapes from the estate’s new vines marks the beginning of a new era for the estate.
"It has been a privilege to be part of the replanting programme which was done after a rigorous mapping of soil profiles and climate zones, the detailed science of which was not available when Chamonix’s first vineyards were planted in the 1990s," he says.
"Together with legendary Vinpro viticulturist Francois Viljoen, grape varieties, rootstocks, and clones were selected to match specific sites on Chamonix, and for the past three years myself and the rest of the team have eagerly been awaiting the first showings from the new vineyards.
"It's early days yet, with the young Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vineyards still shy in yields, but even in their youth, the grapes are showing developed flavour profiles and balanced chemistries. Once the fermentations are complete, we will be able to, once again, taste Chamonix’s sense of place in these young wines, something to which we are tremendously looking forward to."