Why it matters
The producer
Die Bergkelder is a mountain cellar cut deep into Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch. Dr Anton Rupert built it as the first underground bottle maturation cellar of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Underground maturation keeps temperature and humidity controlled. The wines then move to a separate bottle maturation cellar, where controlled conditions allow the wine to smooth and mellow while its bouquet develops.
Fleur du Cap is the commercial label associated with Die Bergkelder. Its range is tied to a team approach at The Bergkelder.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Papegaaiberg is the mountain in Stellenbosch into which Die Bergkelder is cut. The physical setting gives the producer a cellar built inside a named mountain site, with maturation conditions shaped by the underground location.
Wines to know
The range in view
Fleur du Cap is the label associated with Die Bergkelder, and its red range includes a varietal Pinotage made entirely from that grape. The wine sits as a single variety red rather than a multi grape blend. The range is therefore defined here by the Fleur du Cap name, the Pinotage grape and the cellar work carried out at The Bergkelder.
The Pinotage is full bodied, led by ripe plum and berry fruit. The palate is well balanced, and the aftertaste lingers.