Glenelly Estate Lady May, Stellenbosch 2020

This 125-hectare estate was a fruit farm until 2003, at which point it was acquired by May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, who left Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Bordeaux after 30 years to produce South African wine with a distinctly French touch. The first vintages were made at Quoin Rock, but a winery was installed at Glenelly in 2009. It is one of the 15 original PIWOSA (Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa) members.

The property was first granted to French Huguenot settlers in 1682, and is perfectly situated just outside the picturesque old university town of Stellenbosch itself, with stunning views out over the town and the Simonsberg mountains beyond. The gravel soils here are well suited to the 54.5 hectares of red grape varieties (cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, petit verdot, merlot and cabernet franc), and there is also 5.5 hectares of chardonnay for the estate’s two white wines.

Winemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain joined Glenelly at the end of 2007, after five years at neighbouring Rustenberg, and earlier internships in Alsace, with Angélus and Fieuzal in Bordeaux, and Screaming Eagle in California. His early arrival allowed him to be involved in the design of the striking, eco-friendly winery, which requires no air conditioning thanks to the water-cooled pipe system within the concrete walls.

Apart from its state-of-the-art vinification facilities, it also houses a lovely private collection of fine glass, which had long been a unique feature at Pichon, which gives its name to the estate’s ‘second’ wines: The Glass Collection.