The Du Preez family bought the Cold Mountain wine farm in 2004 having previously dedicated themselves to the raising of their family. The purchase was the fulfilment of a dream; the chance to farm their very own vineyard.
But first they had to clear the land, build a homestead and plant their vines and it was not until 2010 that they released their first sauvignon blanc, made in the face of a very difficult vintage that turned out so well that it was snapped up by the Society buyer Jo Locke when tasted at a subsequent London Wine Fair.
The estate lies some 20km from Stanford near Walker Bay, a cool-climate area by South African standards, where the moderating influence of the south Atlantic on local temperatures has made it an area renowned for sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and chardonnay, all of which are planted on Cold Mountain beside shiraz and semillon. The farm itself is 300 hectares in extent but vines grow in only 17 hectares or so, on gentle slopes of eroded granite. The wines are made at nearby Gabriëlskloof.