Le Riche Wines

In 1698, a Frenchman named Lodewyk le Riche left Normandy and sailed for the Cape of Good Hope. More than three centuries later, his descendants are still making wine in Stellenbosch — and they have become synonymous with a single grape: Cabernet Sauvignon. Le Riche Wines is not just a Cabernet specialist. It is, by common consensus, the Cabernet specialist of South Africa.

The modern story begins with Etienne le Riche, a quiet, meticulous man who spent decades mastering Cabernet before striking out on his own. Before founding Le Riche in 1996, Etienne had already made his mark. He co-founded the Cape Winemakers Guild in 1982 — the invitation-only collective that would become the most prestigious body in South African wine — and served as cellarmaster at Rustenberg, where he honed his understanding of how Cabernet Sauvignon expresses itself across the diverse soils and aspects of Stellenbosch.

When he finally established his own label, the focus was absolute. No Pinotage, no Chenin, no trendy new-wave experiments. Le Riche would make Cabernet Sauvignon and, eventually, a Chardonnay — and it would make them with a precision and consistency that has few equals in the Cape. The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, blended from the estate's finest performing vineyard blocks and awarded Reserve status only in exceptional years, has become one of the most collected wines in South Africa. Etienne's approach is classical: extended maceration, French oak maturation, and long bottle ageing before release.

In 2014, winemaking operations moved from the original Jonkershoek cellar to a purpose-built winery in the lower Helderberg, giving the family more space and control. Today, Etienne's children have taken the reins. His daughter Yvonne manages the business, while his son Christo has assumed winemaking responsibilities, carrying forward the uncompromising Cabernet-first philosophy. The transition has been seamless — the 2021 Reserve, released to universal acclaim, was described by Greg Sherwood MW as a wine that would redefine pure Cabernet quality in South Africa for years to come.

The portfolio has grown thoughtfully. Alongside the flagship Reserve and the estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the range now includes single-vineyard bottlings from Jonkershoek, Simonsberg, Steynsrust, and Bosstok — each expressing a different facet of Stellenbosch Cabernet. The Richesse, a lighter Cabernet-based blend with Cinsaut and Cabernet Franc, offers an accessible entry point. A Chardonnay and the Vogelzang Cabernet-Cinsaut blend add further depth. But the heart of Le Riche remains where it has always been: in the glass of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, dark and structured and patient, waiting — like the family itself — for the right moment to reveal its full character. Production remains limited to around 60,000 bottles per year, of which 80 per cent is premium Cabernet.