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A passion for viticulture

Pinot Noir may be known as the ‘heartbreak grape’, but in the unique coastal terroir of the Hemel-en-Aarde valley this noble Burgundian cultivar finds the perfect opportunity to shine.

With its cool maritime climate – the Indian Ocean is less than five kilometres away – and ancient clay soils that encourage complexity and concentration, Bouchard Finlayson is regarded as one of South Africa’s leading producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, alongside a boutique portfolio of premium wines.

Wine Barrel Illustration

Handpicked harvest

At Bouchard Finlayson we believe that great wine begins in the vineyard. And after a year of careful cultivation, the vineyard and cellar team take enormous care when bringing in the harvest. All harvesting on the estate is done by hand by our highly skilled vineyard workers, who select only those grape bunches that have achieved optimum phenolic ripeness. With vineyard rows ripening at different times, this requires multiple harvests in each vineyard to pick each bunch at the perfect moment. It is labour intensive and time consuming, but we believe the end result is well worth the extra effort.

Inspired by Burgundy

Since the first vines were planted in 1989, the estate has followed the Burgundian tradition of high-density viticulture. Across most of the estate each hectare is planted with 8000 individual vines, planted in five-row blocks spaced just one metre from the adjacent row. This high-density approach stimulates healthy competition between the vines, improving colour, concentration and tannins in the grapes. In the warm climate of South Africa, greater leaf cover means that less of the vineyard soil is exposed to direct sunlight, creating a cooler microclimate within each vineyard.

Discover our unique estate...