Taaibosch: The Stellenbosch Estate That Makes Only One Wine | South Africa Series Part 2 of 5

The South Africa Series, Episode 2 of 5.

Taaibosch makes one wine. No second label, no entry-level bottling, just Crescendo, a Cabernet Franc-led blend from the slopes of the Helderberg.

Recorded in the Taaibosch cellar in Stellenbosch, Matt Weiss talks with cellar master Schalk-Willem Joubert, Petri Venter, winemaker at Le Chant, and Heinrich van der Watt, winemaker at Pink Valley. Schalk-Willem explains how elevation and the cooling influence of False Bay give Crescendo its freshness and natural acidity, and why none of their wines are built for heavy extraction. Petri compares the rolling hills of Le Chant, its old-vine Chenin Blanc and its Merlot-led red blend. Heinrich tells how a few tons of Sangiovese from a neighbor's vineyard turned into the backbone of Pink Valley's Provence-style rosé. The team also explains how they decide when to pick, why taste comes before the lab numbers, and what Americans are still missing about South African wine.

Taaibosch was once Cordoba, home of the original Crescendo, a cult wine of the 1990s. The Oddo family of France bought the property and renamed it Taaibosch. Schalk-Willem, formerly CEO of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons, leads the estate and its sister wineries, Le Chant and Pink Valley, South Africa's first winery built only for rosé.

Coming up in the South Africa Series: De Toren.

Mentioned: Taaibosch Crescendo, Le Chant Blanc and Le Chant Rouge, Pink Valley Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese, Shiraz, Grenache, the Helderberg, False Bay, Table Bay, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, Provence, Bandol, Rioja, Bruwer Raats, Fisher Vineyards, Paul Grieco.

GLASVIN

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FEARRINGTON HOUSE

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Taaibosch: taaiboschwines.com

Pink Valley Wines: pinkvalleywines.com