Wednesday, 24 May, 2017
Wine Spectator, Jane Broughton
According to Andrew Harris, head of marketing and sales for Ernie Els Wines, the Stellenzicht farm’s enviable location, excellent terroir and potential to produce high-quality fruit helped clinch the deal. A large portion of the farm is well-suited to Rhône varieties, specifically Syrah.
"We hope to work off each other’s strengths and produce award-winning wines,” Harris told Wine Spectator of the acquisition, which merges one of the Cape's most high-profile wineries in Ernie Els with the historic Stellenzicht, whose origins stretch back to 1692. The 1994 Stellenzicht Syrah Stellenbosch earned 92 points and was one of the early benchmark reds for South Africa’s wine industry shortly after the country was given access to the U.S. market post-apartheid. However, the winery has struggled to hit that mark since and is now in need of significant investment.
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