Neil Ellis

Neil Ellis is a legend of South African winemaking and the first to gain 5 stars from the John Platter guide (the 'bible' for SA wines!) for Grenache. He made his first wine in 1984, selecting highest quality Stellenbosch grapes and renting cellar space. Today the winery is very much a family affair, with assistance from his children. They have won a huge haul of awards in the intervening years, including more 5 Stars, Golds and Trophies.

Pale straw like colour with attractive green hues. Bright tropical citrus aromatics with subtle overtones of fresh cut grass. The palate is elegant with delicately detailed citrus fruits and a lively acidity, refined minerality, poised palate, textured and a long flavoursome finish.

Fresh seafood and summer salads.

Groenekloof is situated near Darling on the West Coast and consist of a series of hills running parallel to the ocean. These bush vines are low-yielding vineyards with no supplementary irrigation. The soil consists of predominantly decomposed granite and clay with good waterretention capacities. Harvest commenced on the 27th of January and carried through to the 5 th of February. Grapes were harvested between 22 and 22.5°B with a total acid of 8.0 g/l and a pH of 3.2-3.4. The juice was cleaned by means of flotation after it was racked and inoculated to ferment at low temperatures. The wine was left on the lees for 3 months before blending and bottling