Bellevue Estate in Stellenbosch
Bellevue Estate is located on Bottelary Road near Koelenhof in western Stellenbosch. The winery belongs to the Bottelary ward and lies in the Bottelary Hills, whose gentle slopes offer varied exposures and soil formations. The cooler south-facing parcels in particular play an important role for the estate's historic vineyards.
The history of the estate dates back to 1701, when the land was granted to Christoffel Groenewald under the name Houd den Mond. The first wine cellar was built in 1820. In 1861, Dirk Cloete Morkel bought the estate, which then remained in the Morkel family for more than 150 years. Today Bellevue belongs to the Neethling family.
Bellevue holds particular importance in the history of Pinotage. P.K. Morkel planted one of South Africa's first commercial Pinotage vineyards in 1953. The vines from this historic block still stand on the estate today.
The wine made from it in the 1959 vintage won the General Smuts Trophy and played an important role in establishing Pinotage as a distinct South African grape variety. The wine was later marketed under the Lanzerac brand and was among the first wines to display the name Pinotage on the label.
The historic Pinotage vineyard lies on a cool south-facing slope and today covers around 1.85 hectares. The old vines grow on Cartref soils among others and produce low yields. For Heritage Pinotage, the grapes are processed separately and then matured in French oak barrels. Alongside this Heritage wine, Bellevue also produces Estate and Reserve Pinotage, presenting the variety in several different styles.
Pinotage is not Bellevue's only historic grape variety. A Cinsault vineyard from 1952 is the estate's oldest block still in production and is farmed as dry-grown bush vines. There is also a Chenin Blanc vineyard planted in 1976 on sandy loam. These old vineyards produce Heritage Cinsault and Heritage Chenin Blanc, which together with Pinotage most clearly demonstrate the winery's history.
The current range extends beyond this from Chenin Blanc, Shiraz and Malbec to Cabernet Sauvignon and various blends. The Estate Range includes Pinotage, Cinsault, Shiraz, Malbec and Atticus, while the Reserve Range offers wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and the Bordeaux blend Tumara. Winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger is responsible for the current Heritage wines.
Bellevue therefore convincingly combines two sides of South African winegrowing: historic vineyards and a modern selection of classic Stellenbosch varieties. At Vin Africa, Bellevue stands above all for Pinotage with an exceptional history, complemented by old Chenin Blanc and Cinsault vines from the Bottelary Hills.