Hemelrand is special to us because this is ground zero, where our project started and still resides. It’s situated on the cold and windy Hemel & Aarde Ridge at 360 meters above sea level on gravelly clay and sandstone. Viticulturally speaking this is a marginal site, the upside of which is slow ripening with high natural acidity. Hemelrand is meticulously farmed by Hans Evenhuis and his team, hence the name Vine Garden.
The vineyard was planted in 2010 to Chardonnay, Roussanne, Verdelho, Chenin blanc, and Muscat Blanc a petit grain – one place expressed by a few different grapes. The proportions of the different grapes produced varies each vintage. The idea is to bottle the wine just as the vineyard produces it, effectively creating a white field blend that changes every year as the season dictates. The wine is always remarkable and continues to gain in stature as the vines mature.