kanonkop Where the big guns roar

ESTABLISHED: 1910

OWNERSHIP: Johann and Paul Krige With a reputation for producing some of the Cape’s finest red , the heralded Kanonkop Estate is often referred to as a South African “First Growth.” The fourth generation WINEMAKER: Abrie Beeslaar family farm, presently run by brothers Johann and Paul Krige, has been owned and operated by the Sauer-Krige family since the early 1930s. LOCATION: Lower slopes of the Simonsberg, at elevations The name Kanonkop is derived from a “kopje” (small hill) on the property, from which a of 195–395 feet above sea level cannon was fired in the 17th century to announce the arrival of the Dutch East India Company’s trading ships at Table Bay. Upon hearing this signal, local farmers would load with mostly south west facing their wagons and set off for the harbor to barter their produce. slopes

Situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in , Kanonkop SOIL TYPE: Predominantly encompasses just over 247 acres of at altitudes of 195–395 feet above sea decomposed granite (Clovelly and level. Cooling breezes from False Bay provide natural “air conditioning” for the vineyards, Hutton) on a clay base which are planted predominantly on decomposed granite soils of Clovelly and Hutton. With their high clay content and excellent water retention properties, these soil types SIZE OF ESTATE: 309 acres, eliminate the need for irrigation, although supplementary irrigation is required on the 247 of which are planted to vines small portion of the farm (7%) planted on sandy Pinedene soils. THE NAME: Kanonkop boasts some of the Cape’s first commercially planted Pinotage vines, with an The name Kanonkop is derived average age of over 50 years. These are maintained as traditional bush vines, while the Bordeaux of , , and are trellised. The estate’s from a “kopje” (small hill) on the legendary Pinotage serves as a benchmark for this unique and exotic South African . property, from which a cannon was fired in the 17th century Respecting tradition while embracing the future, Kanonkop fuses labor-intensive age-old to announce the arrival of the -making techniques with state-of-the art cellar technology. All of the are hand picked and sorted, and the wines are vinified in open concrete fermentation tanks with manual Dutch East India Company’s trad- punchdowns performed every two hours around the clock. The wines are aged solely in ing ships at Table Bay. French . WINES IMPORTED: Kanonkop crafted their first estate bottled wines in 1973, and they have since garnered Kadette Pinotage Rosé, Kadette, numerous accolades and tremendous international recognition as one of ’s Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, elite wine producers. In 2008, Kanonkop “Paul Sauer” was awarded the Pichon Longueville Paul Sauer, Black Label Pinotage Comtesse de Lalande trophy for the best blended in the world at the International Wine & Spirit Competition — the third time the iconic wine received this prestigious accolade — while Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar, at the helm since 2003, was named IWSC Winemaker of the Year. Kanonkop recently swept the two most prestigious accolades in the 2009 edition of John Platter’s Guide, claiming both the “ of the Year” crown and the “Wine of the Year” title for their “resplendently complex” 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. BWI MEMBER