Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons

Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons is a South African wine producer located at the foot of Simonsberg Mountain in the Franschhoek Valley. The estate was founded in 1997 in collaboration between Baron Benjamin de Rothschild of France, who sought to diversify the wine portfolio of Compagnie Vinicole, and the late Anthonij Rupert of South Africa, then owner of Fredericksburg farm. The prestigious partnership between the South African and French families continues today with the production of three Rupert & Rothschild wines including a Chardonnay – Baroness Nadine, a Bordeaux blend – Baron Edmond, and a red blend – Classique.

The wines of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons are produced with hand-harvested fruit from more than 100 hectares (247 acres) of vineyard land in the Western Cape. At the winery, the Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed, then the free-run juice ferments in a combination of French oak barrels and concrete and stainless steel tanks. The wine matures 11 months in French oak barrels, one-third new.

The estate's premier wine, Baron Edmond, is a blend of 70 percent Merlot, 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. The grapes intended for this blend are produced from 11 to 26 year-old vines planted to a mix of decomposed granite and red clay soils. For vinification, the grapes ferment in wooden vats and stainless steel tanks, then macerate 16 to 20 days for additional extraction. The blend barrel matures 18 months in French oak barriques. The estate's red blend, Classique, is composed of the same grape varieties as Baron Edmond, albeit at different percentages. The wine ferments in stainless steel tanks and matures in larger French oak barrels for 17 months.

Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons is located at the historic French Huguenot farm Fredericksburg, established in 1690. The Rupert & Rothschild farm was the first in South Africa to be awarded Environmental Management Certification in 2004, and the estate, in collaboration with the Rupert-owned farms Anthonij Rupert Wines and La Motte, established the Dennegeur community project to aid the workers of the three established farms.