Meet our producers: Meerlust Estate
Meerlust Estate is a family owned wine estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The Myburgh family first planted vineyards there in 1756 and have been carefully tending them for generations. Hannes Myburgh is the current custodian of the Estate and is determined that Meerlust continues to set its own path in the wine world. Before taking over the running of the Estate, Hannes studied winemaking in Germany and worked vintages with the prestigious Bordeaux wine producer, Chateau Lafite.
It is no surprise then that the Meerlust ‘Rubicon’ is a red wine blend using the traditional left bank Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The Rubicon was first produced in 1980 as one of South Africa’s first Bordeaux red wine blends.
It has remained one of Meerlust Estate’s most iconic wines ever since.
Did you know?
According to the family, “Meerlust” means ‘pleasure of the sea’. The stunning house built centuries ago sits just 5 km from False Bay.
A special terroir!
The vineyards proximity to False Bay is one of the reasons that Meerlust Estate’s wines are so sought after and so highly acclaimed. That cooling wind during hot Cape Summers allows even cool climate wine varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to ripe with elegance and finesse.
Unquestionably though, it is the choice of soils throughout the vineyards owned by Meerlust that allows grape varieties better known to cool climates of Burgundy to be grown along with the red grape varieties made famous from the much warmer Bordeaux region.
It is this distinctive varietal mix that means that the Meerlust Estate is not one of your ‘typical’ South African wine producers. However, this was not always true. Up until the mid 1970s, the family vineyards were focused on producing Steen (Chenin Blanc) and Semillon. It was Hannes’ parents, Nico and Jean who made those changes and set the new direction at Meerlust Estate. And to achieve the acclaim it richly deserves.
Our selection:
We are lucky to have a selection of these wines including the renowned ‘Rubicon’ for you to purchase to try for yourself. (Note: please do enquire if your choice is out of stock as new stock is constantly coming in.)
