Haute Cabrière, gem of Franschhoek

Wednesday, 2 December, 2015
Michael Olivier Communications
I have known the von Arnim family for three generations, and there is a fourth I have still to meet. This incredible family, whom most would think of as mildly eccentric, has made history in Franschhoek by establishing a specialist House for Méthode Cap Classique wines, Pierre Jourdan, on their estate Haute Cabrière in the north eastern corner of this beautiful valley.

Specialising in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two of the three grapes of Champagne and Burgundy they produce a well-loved range of still wines under the Haute Cabrière label and a hugely popular range of MCC wines under the Pierre Jourdan label. Pierre Jourdan being the first grantee of the land on which the estate has been created.

Takuan von Arnim was born into wine and the family business. Involved Haute Cabrière from an early age, he shares his parents’ passion for wine. Having formalised his wine knowledge by studying wine growing and cellar management in Germany, he worked in cellars and vineyards in Germany, France and Australia. Takuan returned to South Africa in 2004 to join Haute Cabrière – the farm founded by his father Achim von Arnim in 1982 – as Cellar Master and more recently as Production Director.

Takuan’s perpetuates the von Arnim wine growing philosophy is of “sun, soil, vine, man”, which revolves around the perfect harmony of nature’s elements coming together to create magic – with man playing only the role of a respectful conductor in creating a sum that’s bigger than its parts. Achim his father always said to me, we grown wines, we don’t make them. How true, paying respect to nature and the vineyardist.

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