KanonkopCoastal Region, South Africa
Kanonkop is the most important red wine estate in South Africa and the producer of two wines that have defined what Cape red wine is capable of at its highest level of quality and ambition. The Paul Sauer blend, South Africa's most celebrated Bordeaux-style wine, and the Kanonkop Pinotage, the definitive expression of the country's own grape variety, are wines that have been recognised by the world's most authoritative critics and collected by serious buyers globally for decades. No other South African red wine estate has a comparable depth of historical evidence for quality, consistency and longevity.
The estate sits on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward, on deep, well-drained decomposed granite soils that have proven ideally suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and the Bordeaux varieties that make up the Paul Sauer blend. The Krige family has maintained ownership and philosophical continuity across generations, and the estate's winemaking has been in the hands of Abrie Beeslaar since 2002, a period during which Paul Sauer and the estate Pinotage have attracted the highest critical recognition in their history.
Estate at a Glance
Kanonkop is based in the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa. The estate is family-owned by the Krige family and has been producing wine continuously on its current site for decades. The vineyard soils are predominantly decomposed granite, producing wines of impressive structure, mineral depth and long-term ageing potential. Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar has led the cellar since 2002 and has been recognised as Winemaker of the Year by multiple publications. The principal wines are the Paul Sauer (Bordeaux blend), the Kanonkop Pinotage and the Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Kadette range providing more accessible entry to the estate's quality.
History
The name Kanonkop refers to the cannon that was once fired from the mountain above the estate to alert ships in Table Bay to the presence of a vessel in False Bay, a communication system that predates any formal means of long-distance signalling in the Cape Colony. The estate's history as a serious fine wine producer runs through most of the twentieth century, with the Krige family establishing the reputation for Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines that has been built upon and consolidated across successive generations.
Paul Sauer, the statesman and long-serving board member after whom the flagship blend is named, gave the wine his name in recognition of the estate's quality and his personal connection to it. The wine named in his honour has gone on to become one of the most internationally recognised and collected South African wines, and its trajectory from a celebrated domestic wine to a global fine wine reference reflects the broader story of South African fine wine's emergence on the international stage.
Terroir
Kanonkop's vineyards occupy the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward, on decomposed granite soils that are among the most distinctive and historically proven in Stellenbosch. The granite bedrock, weathered over millions of years into deep, well-drained soils of excellent mineral complexity, provides the vine roots with the conditions they need to develop the concentration and natural structural integrity that Kanonkop's wines require for their characteristic long-term ageing potential.
The Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward benefits from a combination of morning sunshine on its east-facing slopes, afternoon cloud cover from the Simonsberg Mountain and cooling Atlantic breezes that temper the heat of the growing season without compromising the ripening conditions that Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage require for full physiological maturity. The result is wines of impressive concentration and tannic architecture that retain the natural freshness and aromatic definition that make them compelling at twenty or more years of age.
Abrie Beeslaar
Abrie Beeslaar has been the winemaker at Kanonkop since 2002 and is widely regarded as one of the most gifted and influential red wine winemakers working in South Africa. His tenure has coincided with a period of exceptional critical recognition for Paul Sauer and the estate Pinotage, with scores consistently in the 95 to 98-point range from Tim Atkin and comparable recognition from other leading critics.
Beeslaar's approach combines a deep respect for the estate's established style and the historical integrity of its two flagship wines with a precise technical control and a commitment to expressing the specific character of each vintage as faithfully as possible. He has resisted the temptation to alter the fundamental character of either Paul Sauer or the Pinotage in response to fashion, maintaining the dense, structured, age-worthy style that has defined Kanonkop's wines across generations.
Signature Wines
Paul Sauer
South Africa's most celebrated and internationally recognised Bordeaux-style red blend, named after a distinguished former government minister and estate patron. Paul Sauer is assembled from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grown on the estate's Simonsberg granite soils, combining the power and structural density of Cabernet Sauvignon with the aromatic complexity and textural refinement of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It is a wine of impressive concentration and tannic architecture in youth that develops extraordinary complexity, aromatic depth and structural completeness over ten to twenty or more years of careful cellaring. Tim Atkin has consistently awarded it scores of 95 to 98 points, and it is regularly cited as one of the essential references for South African red wine in any serious collection.
Kanonkop Pinotage
The most important and age-worthy expression of South Africa's own grape variety, demonstrating comprehensively that Pinotage in the right place and with the right winemaker is capable of producing wine of genuine depth, complexity and longevity. The Kanonkop Pinotage is produced from bush vine material on the Simonsberg granite slopes and develops over ten to fifteen years into a wine of considerable character and structural completeness. It is the wine that has most convincingly made the case for Pinotage as a serious collector variety rather than simply a South African curiosity.
Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon
An outstanding varietal Cabernet Sauvignon that demonstrates the quality of the estate's Simonsberg granite terroir for this variety independently of the Paul Sauer blend. Dense, structured and age-worthy, it develops over eight to fifteen years and provides an excellent introduction to the estate's style at a price point below the two flagship wines.
Why Buy Kanonkop?
Kanonkop provides collectors with access to the most historically important and consistently excellent red wine estate in South Africa, and to wines whose critical scores, collector demand and track record of development in bottle place them in the most serious tier of Cape fine wine. Paul Sauer and the Kanonkop Pinotage are wines that no serious South African collection should be without, and the depth of historical evidence for their quality and longevity is unmatched by any other estate working with red varieties in the Cape.
All Kanonkop wines purchased through Fine Wine Library are held In Bond, excise duty free, with guaranteed provenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paul Sauer?
Paul Sauer is the flagship wine of Kanonkop, a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot named after a distinguished former South African government minister who served on the estate's board. It is widely regarded as South Africa's most important and collectible Bordeaux-style red wine.
What is Pinotage?
Pinotage is a grape variety unique to South Africa, created in 1925 as a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Kanonkop produces what is universally regarded as the most serious, age-worthy and internationally recognised expression of the variety, demonstrating what it can achieve at the highest level of winemaking ambition.
Who is Abrie Beeslaar?
Abrie Beeslaar has been the winemaker at Kanonkop since 2002 and is one of the most recognised and acclaimed red wine winemakers in South Africa, having received Winemaker of the Year recognition from multiple leading publications during a tenure that has coincided with exceptional critical scores for both Paul Sauer and the estate Pinotage.
How long should Kanonkop wines be cellared?
Paul Sauer develops best over ten to twenty or more years, reaching its most complex and complete expression at fifteen years or beyond in the finest vintages. The Pinotage rewards eight to fifteen years of careful cellaring. The Cabernet Sauvignon develops well over eight to twelve years.
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