Mulderbosch Vineyards

On the Polkadraai Road outside Stellenbosch, where cooling breezes from False Bay moderate the summer heat and allow for slow, even ripening, Mulderbosch Vineyards has been one of South Africa's most influential Chenin Blanc producers for more than three decades. The farm's position -- on well-drained slopes within reach of the maritime influence -- gives it a natural affinity for white varieties, and it was here that the case for Chenin Blanc as a serious, age-worthy wine was first made with real conviction.

Mulderbosch was founded in 1989 by Dr Larry Jacobs and Frederick Mulder, who found a property with the right combination of slopes, soils, and aspect. The first wines were launched in 1994, and the estate gained rapid international recognition for its Sauvignon Blanc and roses. But it was Chenin Blanc -- then widely dismissed as a bulk-wine grape in South Africa -- that would become Mulderbosch's defining contribution. By 1996, the estate was one of the first producers to ferment Chenin Blanc in barriques, a technique that revealed the variety's capacity for complexity and texture. The barrel-fermented Steen Op Hout (literally 'stone on wood' in Afrikaans, a play on the old Cape name for Chenin, 'Steen') became a benchmark for the variety.

In 2011, Terroir Capital, led by wine investor Charles Banks, acquired the winery. Winemaker Adam Mason -- recruited from the Napa Valley where he had worked with Andy Erickson -- arrived for the 2012 vintage and further elevated Chenin Blanc to the centre of the portfolio. Under Mason, Mulderbosch introduced single-vineyard Chenin Blanc wines from celebrated sites near False Bay, deepening the estate's reputation as a Chenin specialist of international standing. Henry Kotze took over as winemaker in 2020, continuing the estate's white-wine focus while maintaining the quality of its red programme.

The current portfolio spans the full range. The Chenin Blanc and Steen Op Hout remain the flagships. The Faithful Hound is a Bordeaux-style red blend -- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Malbec -- with a loyal following. A single-vineyard Cabernet Franc adds a site-specific red. Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, and Cap Classique round out a diverse but coherent range.

Tasting at Mulderbosch is conducted at R110 per person, and the estate also operates a restaurant. Open Wednesday through Sunday, it remains a working winery where the focus is squarely on what is in the glass -- a property where the reputation was built on the quality of the wine rather than the scale of the visitor experience.