De Toren stands for luxurious, quality and elegant Bordeaux style wines. It starts with a fantastic team understanding each other and working so well together in all the aspects from the wine making, marketing and selling of this fantastic wine. De Toren Private Cellar is a boutique winery situated on the Polkadraai Hills, overlooking Stellenbosch. This area is ideal for Bordeaux cultivars.
I went to visit the farm to get a better understanding of what is going on behind this world class label.
Cellar Master Charles Williams took us for a tour starting in the vineyards where everything starts. He explained that a dozen sampling holes were dug on each hectare of the farm, Across the farm’s 25 hectares, 15 separate soil types were identified. The rootstocks were then matched to individual soil types, and 25 clones across the five classic Bordeaux varieties were planted. The vineyard gets the utmost of love and attention. Grapes are hand-harvested exclusively in the cool of the early morning. De Toren named for the tower reaching skywards from the cellar roof was the first 100 percent gravity-fed cellar in South Africa. The cellar was designed to treat the grapes softly through the winemaking process. Every vineyard block is carefully matched to specific French and American oak barrels. The wines lie undisturbed for 12 months on first-, second- and third-fill oak. De Toren wines are certified organic.
They taste each batch every month, during this time the winemaker and Cellar Master will begin to get an idea of the final vintage blends.
Those sample blends are then tasted in a blind tasting to select customers and members of the wine trade for feedback.
I had the privilege to attend the annual blend tasting of the De Toren Z. When I walked in at the event I was overwhelmed with warm- and friendliness of the De Toren team. The De Toren Z is a Bordeaux blend that consist of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Each year the blend differs. The range of world- class wines is a result of the labor of love, which have awarded the respective wines, the honorary titles of South Africa’s best Bordeaux Blends and South Africa’s Most luxurious wines.
There is a huge difference between good wine, great wine and fantastic world class wine. De Toren wines is just that world class. De Toren is a brand to be proud of, it was such a pleasure talking to the team and see the passion they have for the wines they make.
No wonder “The truth is in the vine” is etched onto the walls of De Toren Private Cellar’s underground tasting room.
Their tastings are by appointment only. Every tasting is an hour and half and includes a walk through the vineyard, cellar, maturation room and finishes off with a tasting of their luxurious wines. Tastings are conducted by senior personnel only to give you an exclusive experience. Their tasting are available weekdays only.
For bookings 021 8813119
Operating hours 8h00 – 16h00
