Mont Blois Wine Estate

The Bruwer family's connection to the Cape stretches back to 1688, when their Huguenot ancestor Estienne Bruere arrived from France. The family eventually settled in Robertson, and in 1869 they purchased the first of the farms that would become the Mont Blois estate — named after the picturesque town of Blois in the Loire Valley from which the Bruwers originally came. The cellar was built in 1884, and six generations later it still stands as the working heart of the property.

Today, Ernst Bruwer manages three farms in the Robertson Wine Valley — Mont Blois, La Fontaine, and Sunshine — continuing a winemaking tradition that has endured for more than 150 years. He met his wife Nina-Mari while they were both studying Viticulture and Enology at Stellenbosch University. She joined the Mont Blois team in 2008 and has since been awarded the prestigious title of Cape Wine Master, placing her among the most qualified winemakers in South Africa.

Mont Blois was originally known for a single product: Muscadel. The estate's Pomphuis White Muscadel — made from 26-year-old vines grown at the top of De Hoop, where altitude creates a lighter, fresher style despite 257 grams of residual sugar — remains a standout. But Nina-Mari has expanded the range significantly, adding Estate Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and the Bacchus red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, made in traditional kuipe (cement open-top fermenters) with natural fermentation and punch downs, then matured for 24 months in third-fill French barrels.

The winemaking here is traditional by choice, not by accident. Natural fermentation, open-top fermenters, and extended barrel maturation reflect a deliberate commitment to the methods that have sustained this cellar since 1884. The wines are crafted in the Hoopsrivier area of the Robertson Valley, where the terroir combines lime-rich soils with Langeberg mountain influence.

Tastings are by appointment only and take place on Nina-Mari's stoep, where visitors meet the family cat and enjoy breathtaking views of the Robertson Valley while she personally conducts the tasting. It is an intimate, unhurried experience that feels more like visiting friends than touring a cellar — and it is precisely that personal touch that defines Mont Blois.

This is a six-generation family estate where a Huguenot heritage, an 1884 cellar, a Cape Wine Master winemaker, and traditional methods converge. The scale is modest, the pedigree is not.