Piekenierskloof, South Africa

For years I had been hearing about Piekenierskloof – not as a wine
producer but as a source of grapes for numerous other winemakers, young
and old. I didn’t realise that Piekenierskloof wasn’t just a ward (the
smallest geographical unit in the South African regional classification)
but one large estate, formerly a co-operative but now owned principally
by two brothers, grandsons of Johan Abraham Van Zyl who first settled
the heights above Citrusdal in 1923. The derivation of the name is from
the establishment of outposts on the mountain pass by Dutch Piekeniers,
pikemen – whose military poses have been wittily adapted to farming and
gardening tasks on the labels!

The vineyards lie across the Paleisheuwel plateau in the Citrusdal
mountains at 550-700m. of altitude – all dry-farmed with a high
percentage of very old vines. The climate is perfect, with sunny summers
and cooling breezes making for low yields and healthy fruit. With an
impressive managing and winemaking team of Cerina and Jaco Van Niekerk
in place, there’s smarter winemaking than in the past. With a reduction
in the use of oak (especially the vanilla-scented American oak), one can
appreciate the quality of the grapes grown here – which drew so many
others to buy the fruit. Finally, all the wines offer superb value.