Kanonkop Wine Estate — Attraction in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

Visiting Kanonkop strangely took me longer than anticipated since the tasting room upgrades a few years back. Why? I honestly simply cannot explain, considering our family are loyal supporters of their fine wines. Alas, on one sunny Spring day we decided to drive my Dad, a retired architect with a passion for art and history, to the experience the grandeur of the Greater Simonsberg, all with the hope to fan the flames of his latest love, painting in water colours.

Departing the N1 on the R44 towards Stellenbosch flanked by the majesty of the Simonsberg mountain certainly opened our senses and what better way to absorb such beauty other than sipping on some fine wines. With that we got site of the famous canon perched the R44, almost beckoning our attention to yield, and so we did. Entering the driveway of Kanonkop Wine Estate, arguably South Africa’s most renowned wines, we were filled with awe, the word legacy comes to mind, full of expectation, which we sure got.

The tasting room is spacious and modern, littered with art, showcasing not only the history, but family and tradition now four generations later, all the while striving for exceptional wines. I particularly liked the showcase of bottle sizes from the magnum (1.5l) to the Mandelazar (18l), while some are even on sale. Set behind some glass doors is a vinoteque cellar that offers a range of older stellar vintages with a small selection of souvenirs available for purchase. There is very comfortable lounge set area in front of great big fire place that I can imagine on a wet winters day would be very inviting. In contrast, the new deck outside under the Leopard trees would also provide a different appeal on a warmer day.

After we meandered the space, we found a table opposite the bronze sculpture Paul Sauer, and close enough to enjoy the other iconic family portraits of JW Sauer, Mary Krige and Jannie Krige. One would expect to pay a premium to taste such wines, considering Kanonkop became the first South African producer to score full marks in a 100-point rating of Cape wines by internationally renowned critic Tim Atkin, on the 2015 Paul Sauer Bordeaux blend. Additionally the wines are all rated four stars or higher by the country's favourite wine adviser guide, Platter’s, even the price point Kadette range. Spoiler alert, the tasting flight is all served in Riedel Glasses, which impressed me, perfectly engraved with the iconic Kanonkop canon.

The fee for such a spoil was a humble R100 pp, considering the Paul Sauer is on sale for around R1000 per bottle, I was truly impressed. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly, answering all my dad’s random questions full of patience and grace.

Wine highlights were the estate ’19 Cabernet, worth every one of its 5 stars, think dark cassis and firm perfect tannin structure. The Rose also showed beautifully, dry but tasty, with an abundant nose of strawberry, ideal with the incoming summer months. The Kadette range is drinking very smooth, all ’22 vintages and very fruit forward, perhaps from the warmer year recorded compared to the ’21 year. Incidentally the Kadette Cab 21’ has bee one of favourite cabernets under R200 this past winter.

All in all an artistic and wine-filled...

Allo allo, dear Sirs, Madame, the Kanonkop Pinotage 1998 has taken a rather long time to become really fabulous. Yes, it is the wine that got the 1999 top ABSA ten. It got 2 Veritas medals. Made from 53 year old vines and 15 months in 90 % new French Nevers oak barrels of 225 liters. Yes, I must admit, since the wine was delivered, immediately upon arrival from South Africa to Belgium, early 2000, it was cellared at a very cold cellar, never above 16°C and most of the time between 8°C and 12°C whereby the change from 8°C to 12°C takes about 6 months and back the same thing. As a result the evolution (aging) of the wine went very slow. Each year, when tasting two bottles, the oak was predominately covering the fruit leaving an unpleasant impression. We decided a few years not to taste the wine, because not to our expectation. Now we are in 2016 and I must say, the wine gets almost to its best. Already fabulous. Still purple shades in colour, with a nose full of complexity, a gentle approach in the mouth, smoothing flavor and acidity, with good length and without too much tannins drying the mouth. For sure it will need a few years more, but we are so happy that it reached this level already. Honestly, we were a little bit afraid, because the label was stating that it would reach its maturity in 2003 and with no further expectation after 2013. How lucky we were, because every year we throw out wine of our cellar, having kept it, for in 2013 it was like a disaster, more wood than anything else... Again, I learned a good lesson: top wines, do buy plenty, taste it regularly, the day will come that patience will be rewarded. Kanonkop Wine Estate, thank you so much for having made such a great wine while pushing my patience to the edge !!! Jozef...

I received a present on my 50th birthday of a 12L bottle of Kanonkop piontage (cost several thousand at the time), the bottle was laid down and kept in cellar type conditions for 18 years. As far as i was aware it was in perfect condition to be opened and enjoyed. ( shelf life is 20 years) I took the bottle out of the box, unwrapped the plastic bubble wrap and low and behold i discovered there was cork leakage. Unsure of the condition of the wine, I visited KanonKop and informed them - I was told they would open the bottle and check the contents which they duly did - the wine was off! I was told it was my fault because I laid the bottle down - it should have been standing up for the past 18 years! This is the VERY first time i have ever been told this - the seller didn’t inform me (in fact the bottle was lying down when we bought it) Was i offered some form of replacement ( however small?) - no I was not, I was told they cannot replace the wine or offer any gesture offering in recompense. To add insult to injury they informed me that they would put “fake wine” in the bottle and I could use it as a “display piece” - in essence a marketing ploy for their business - after I was so badly treated! I turned the offer down, having lost what now turns out to be R12K worth of wine, their response is an insult.

I always thought Kanonkop was credible and would treat their clients (particularly people that purchase big quantities of their wine) better that this. Under these conditions, I won’t return to KanonKop's product...