A.A. Badenhorst

Adi Badenhorst was until recently the winemaker for Rustenberg, but left to strike out on his own, forming AA Badenhorst Family Wines with his cousin Hein Badenhorst. Kalmoesfontein farm in the Swartland appellation of South Africa is where AA Badenhorst Family Wines are grown, made and matured. His 60 hectare farm (with 28 hectares of vines) is located on the Paardeberg Mountain. Four wines are made here: a red and white, and then a lower priced red and white using a neighbour’s grapes to supplement his own. He is also trying to work naturally, adding ‘We don’t want anything other than the grape in here.’

Everything is farmed without irrigation on granite and clay, which is good at holding water. The soils in his vineyard have three different types of Granite, which all look the same on the surface but underneath there are different forms of degradation of the granite bed rock. Granite tends to bring freshness to wines.

The Chenin Blanc grapes are mostly from Kalmoesfontein situated on the northern side of the Paardeberg Mountain. They are considered the world’s smallest co-op. The fruit maintains a high quality fruit, which comes from old un-irrigated bushvines grown on a variety of granite soils that are naturally low yielding. Most of the Chenin vines were planted the late 1960’s to mid-1970 and tend to yield around 4 tons/hectare.