Colmant Cap Classique was founded in 2005 by Belgian businessman, Jean-Philippe Colmant. Jean-Phillipe made the big move with his family from French speaking Belgium to a special area on South Africa’s vinous map. He purchased a small 5-hectare plot which was part of the original La Motte farm granted to one of the French Huguenots back in 1694. At the time, it was the first winery in South Africa solely dedicated to the production of Cap Classique. Planting of new vineyards quickly commenced as well as the construction of a new cellar. The cellar received its first harvest in 2006 and today produces 60,000 bottles of Cap Classique a year across six different blends.
An important backer of this ambitious project was Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira of Graham Beck fame. Through his constant support, passion and knowledge sharing, he helped push Colmant and their quality objectives forward. The final piece of the Colmant puzzle arrived in 2019, with the appointment of Paul Gerber – one of South Africa’s leading Cap Classique makers (largely responsible for putting Le Lude MCC on the map).
In terms of their style of the Cap Classique, it’s all about balance, elegance and finesse. One of the key aspects in attaining this is through blending and of course the quality of the grapes. The Pinot Noir is sourced from versatile regions located on five different farms in Franschhoek, Robertson and Elgin. In terms of the Chardonnay, 50% comes from the Colmant farm and the rest from vineyards on limestone soils in Roberston and Bonnievale as well as the cooler Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
The future here is bright and anyone looking to experience some of the best MCC currently being made in South Africa, doesn’t need to look any further.
