Cap Classique celebrates 50 years of South African vintages in 2021.
Haute Cabrière is proud to be a chapter in this story.

Haute Cabrière, a family-owned winery in Franschhoek, has been creating quality wines with the classic Burgundian and Champagne varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir since the 1980s. The traditional method of bottle‑fermented sparkling wine, known in the French province of Champagne as Méthode Champenoise and in South Africa as Méthode Cap Classique, is part of the von Arnim family’s DNA. In 1986, Achim von Arnim, Haute Cabrière’s founding Cellar Master, was the first to create and release a South African Cap Classique exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—no surprise at all given his passion for pioneering unique blends. This year, 2021, South Africa celebrates 50 years of creating Cap Classique wines, and Haute Cabrière is proud to be part of that foundation.

THE EARLY YEARS
After many years spent in the vineyards of France and Germany while studying viticulture in Geisenheim, Achim returned to South Africa with a vision to create a South African Cap Classique that contends with the prestigious Champagne houses of France.

After years of creating wine as Cellar Master for respected vineyards in the Cape, Achim set out on a journey to build his own innovative cellar and to carve his personal legacy within the wine industry. He had a dream to establish a cellar that specialised in the wine styles of Champagne and Burgundy based on the philosophy, sun, soil, vine, man.

Achim chose the land of Haute Cabrière based on what he found stuck to the soles of his shoes. While visiting possible sites, the Haute Cabrière soils left his Levi boots covered in thick clay—something he was familiar with during his time in the Burgundy region of France where he had worn the exact same shoes in the vineyards. Soils such as these support ancient vines in France and now were discovered thousands of miles away in Franschhoek. An important discovery and the humble beginnings of Haute Cabrière.

CAP CLASSIQUE TIMELINE
1971–1980 | Kaapse Vonkel Cap Classique
Created by France Malan of Simonsig, this is the first Cap Classique produced in South Africa (various varietals are used).

1980 | Achim von Arnim, Cellar Master at Boschendal
Achim enters the Cap Classique landscape. He insists the wine fraternity strives for quality based on working with classic varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot—something only seen in Champagne at this time. Achim spearheads the planting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Boschendal.

1982 | Achim von Arnim purchases first land
The first farm of Haute Cabrière is acquired by Achim. He replants the neglected farmland with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cellar construction begins.

1984 | Achim von Arnim’s first vintage
While waiting for the young vines to establish on his land, Achim purchases grapes from friends: Chardonnay from Danie De Wet and Pinot Noir from Jannie Engelbrecht of Vrede en Lust. He begins to produce his first Cap Classique. This spends two years on the lees.

1986 | First Pierre Jourdan Brut Cap Classique
Pierre Jourdan Brut is launched, using a blend of exclusively Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Achim, true to French tradition, names the wine after the original 1694 landowner, French Huguenot, Pierre Jourdan.

THE NEXT GENERATION
Today, 35 years later, the Pierre Jourdan range of Cap Classiques has expanded from the first Brut to include the prestigious Blanc de Blancs, Belle Rose rosé, and the Belle Nectar Demi-Sec rosé, loved locally in South Africa and abroad. Under the watchful eye of Achim’s son, Cellar Master Takuan von Arnim, the Haute Cabrière dream is expanded and achieved with each vintage founded on quality and authenticity in the cellar.

“My father uncovered and cut a diamond, and I am here to polish it,” comments Takuan. While the Pierre Jourdan range continues to offer a competitive price, it delivers on quality. In recent years, Takuan’s focus has been the Blanc de Blancs, the flagship Cap Classique. This wine is an ode to Champagne, specifically the region of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The wine centres around experimentation in time on the lees, something Takuan prides himself upon and is in keeping with the pioneering spirit of Haute Cabrière.

Pierre Jourdan Cap Classique is available from R155 from the Haute Cabrière Cellar door and www.cabriere.co.za

NOTES TO EDITOR
A family-owned winery, Haute Cabrière has roots that extend deep into Franschhoek’s wine valley, heritage and community. With a passion for creating moments for people to share in together through quality wines, classic and Burgundian varietals are explored in pioneering blends and single-varietal wines. With two generations of Cellar Masters, our legacy extends back to the Huguenot Pierre Jourdan, the fruition of what we believe to have been his dream and life’s work in the 17th century. For more information, visit cabriere.co.za

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Roxy Laker, Marketing Manager. marketing@cabriere.co.za , +27 (0)21 876 8500

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