2023 Warwick First Lady Chardonnay

Without any exaggeration, we can say that Warwick Estate is today one of the leading wine companies in Stellenbosch, and even in South Africa. That, of course, does not come out of the blue. In the first place there is of course the special terroir, in a unique place: directly to the west of the monumental Simonsberg, the high mountain that dominates the region and which also determines the climate of the region.

Warwick Estate is located in a valley enclosed by the Simonsberg, Kanonkop and Klapmutskop. The historic farm, now called Warwick, was called 'Good Success' from 1791 to 1902. After the Boer War, the farm was bought by Colonel Alexander Gordon, who baptized him 'Warwick', after the army unit he served for, the Warwickshire regiment. Later the company fell into disrepair and when it was taken over by Stan & Norma Ratcliffe in 1964, there was no sign of a grape. Stan and Norma soon realized that they had acquired a special terroir for wine growing and it was not long before they decided to plant cabernet sauvignon, a grape really made for this region. These cabernet sticks yielded high quality grapes, which were in great demand among traders and other wineries for making great wines. Norma herself became more and more interested in wine making and decided to follow a training as a winemaker. Norma and Stan decided to build a cellar and in 1984 the first 'own' Warwick wine was born, a Cabernet sauvignon. Norma turned out to have the talent to make great wines and the production could increase year on year - both in quality and quantity. The Bordeaux blend Trilogy, which was launched in 1986, quickly became one of the major flagships of South African wine growing. This was emphasized when he was chosen by South African President Thabo Mbeki to be served at an official dinner for President George Bush. It is a recognition of the rare qualities of the Warwick winery. Meanwhile, winemaker Norma has stepped back after 20 years, and has been succeeded by Louis Nel, who is widely regarded as one of South Africa's most talented winemakers. And in 2001, Mike Ratcliffe, son of Norma and Stan, was appointed general manager. He graduated from the University of Adelaide with a degree in wine marketing. This makes Warwick fully equipped for the future.