Breedekloof
Olifantsberg
Old Vine Chenin Blanc
Yellow ApplePearFlintPineappleVibrant Texture
Details
Variety
Chenin Blanc
Style
White
Region
Breedekloof
Appellation
Breedekloof
Producer
Olifantsberg
Country
South Africa
Trade Materials
The Inspiration
Olifantsberg Old Vine Chenin Blanc is a celebration of one of South Africa's most treasured grape varieties and the enduring value of old vineyards. Sourced from a single bush-vine vineyard planted in 1982 in the Breedekloof Valley, the wine reflects the character and resilience that only mature vines can offer.
The age of the vines has given rise to natural variation across the block, with differences in vigor, canopy density, and sun exposure creating a mosaic of micro-environments. We honor these distinctions through selective harvesting, picking each portion of the vineyard at optimal ripeness. Decades of adaptation to the site's sandstone-based soils and rugged growing conditions have resulted in naturally balanced yields and fruit of remarkable intensity and purity.
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.
