Carignan bottle shot

Breedekloof

Olifantsberg

Carignan

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Meet Olifantsberg

Details

Variety

Carignan

Style

Red

Region

Breedekloof

Appellation

Breedekloof

Producer

Olifantsberg

Country

South Africa

The Inspiration

Carignan is well suited to our climate and flourishes in the very rocky terrain. The large diurnal temperature swings ensure that natural acidity is retained while ensuring a very concentrated fruit expression that Carignan is known for. Our Carignan is grown as bush vines on clay-shale rich soil with a high component of quartz rock. This is a wine that captures the ruggedness and mystery of the mountain. A grape variety that has proven superbly adaptive to our windswept and dry site, there is beauty in its wildness.

About Olifantsberg

Small production terroir driven wines

Olifantsberg (literally "Elephant Mountain", a name the estate honors in its Beneath Our Feet range) is a small-production estate high on the slopes of the Olifantsberg mountain in the Breedekloof region, where very dry conditions and diverse schist and decomposed sandstone soils lend themselves to low-yielding vines and unique varietals rarely found elsewhere in South Africa. The estate's elevated position and distinctive terroir create wines of remarkable character. Acclaimed winemaker Elizma Visser is the driving force behind Olifantsberg's growing reputation. Her main focus is producing wines that capture this unique location, its diverse soils, and the natural expression of her vineyards. Climate-change adaptation is built into the farming itself: the estate uses the high-density Échalas vine-training system to give each vine its own cooling micro-climate. She works with a range of Mediterranean varietals (Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, Carignan, Syrah, Roussanne) alongside South African classics like Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. Elizma uses a natural approach with minimal intervention to produce wines full of fruit and elegance. From the accessible Beneath Our Feet range to the flagship single-varietal wines and the celebrated Matriarch and Bull blends, every bottle reflects the wild beauty and distinctive terroir of this remarkable Breedekloof site.

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