Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Topiary wines was originally a fruit farm called la Tramontane until 2005, when previous owner Roy Andrews (and with a winemaking/viticultural team of Chris Albrecht, Malcolm Pemberton and Mark Carmichael Green) built a cellar and a tasting room, and launched Topiary. In August 2014, acclaimed Burgundy producer Philippe Colin (also one of the guardians of the famous Colin-Deleger vineyard in Chassagne Montrachet) and his business partner became enchanted with the 64 hectare farm, and purchased the estate. Philippe is the winemaking partner, and his business partner, Serge Jaczynski, is a sommelier from Southern France who counts Michelin 3 star restaurants and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie among his clients.
Originally named Franschhoek meaning the “French Corner” because it was home to the influx of French Huguenots, today the valley contains many historic cellars and is an important tourist location because of its proximity to Cape Town.
This valley falls to the southeast of Paarl and is enclosed on three sides by towering mountains. Streams from the slopes flow down to the valley floor, converging to form the Berg River. The area excels in the production of full-bodied reds.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.