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Cape Point Vineyards

Cape Point Vineyards is a family-owned wine estate in Noordhoek on South Africa's Cape Peninsula, established in 2000, with cool south-facing white-grape plantings at Noordhoek and warmer north-facing red-grape plantings at Scarborough. Cool sea breezes slow ripening, while Atlantic breezes shape the estate's cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc.

The producer

Cape Point Vineyards is a family-owned wine estate in Noordhoek on South Africa's Cape Peninsula, established in 2000 and owned by Sybrand Van Der Spuy and Stephen Newton. Its vineyards span Noordhoek and Scarborough. Cool sea breezes slow ripening on the narrow peninsula. The cool south-facing slopes at Noordhoek carry Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, while warmer north-facing Scarborough carries Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz selected for red-wine production. Head winemaker Riandri Visser works with winemaker Anzette Visser, viticulturist Steffan Lochner and cellar master Hannes Meyer. The estate presents cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc as a wine shaped by Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions.

Cape Point Vineyards Chardonnay 2024 is 100% Chardonnay, a single-variety white with fresh citrus, apricot, fine oat pastry and honey. Mineral freshness and subtle spicy oak follow, while full body, lively acidity and a persistent finish give the wine weight, lift and length. Cape Point also combines wine production with a restaurant, tasting room, open-fire courtyard dining and picnics in Noordhoek.

Known for

Cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc shaped by Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions, with cool south-facing Noordhoek planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, and warmer north-facing Scarborough planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz for red-wine production.

Notable facts

The story

Three dates on the Cape Peninsula

In 1996, Sybrand Van Der Spuy replanted Cape Point Vineyards on the Cape Peninsula. Two years later, the vineyard and cellar helped prompt the declaration of the Cape Point Wine of Origin district. Cape Point Vineyards gives 2000 as its establishment year. Three dates therefore sit in sequence: new vines in 1996, a formal wine origin carrying Cape Point in 1998, and the estate's stated beginning in 2000. Van Der Spuy's replanting came first, the district declaration followed, and the estate's stated establishment came after that. The chronology runs from vines in the ground to a named wine origin and then to the estate's own date, 2000.

From the atlas

Cape Point Vineyards

At A Glance

Cape Point Vineyards is a family-owned wine estate in Noordhoek, a coastal suburb on South Africa's Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape, established in 2000. Its vineyards span two properties: cool, south-facing Noordhoek, planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, and warmer, north-facing Scarborough, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz for red-wine production. Cool sea breezes slow ripening along the narrow peninsula, and the estate presents cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc shaped by Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions as its defining style.

The Producer

Cape Point Vineyards is a family-owned wine estate in Noordhoek on South Africa's Western Cape, and its defining wine is cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc shaped by Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions. Sybrand Van Der Spuy and Stephen Newton are the named owners. The current production team includes head winemaker Riandri Visser, winemaker Anzette Visser, viticulturist Steffan Lochner and cellar master Hannes Meyer. The two vineyard addresses divide the range by exposure, giving white and red wines separate starting points.

Wine is also part of the estate's physical setting. Cape Point combines production with a restaurant, a tasting room, open-fire courtyard dining and picnics. The visitor offer keeps the wines alongside the Noordhoek landscape, from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to the red varieties planted at Scarborough.

Place

Noordhoek is the home estate, and Scarborough is the second Cape Peninsula property. The peninsula narrows to 11 kilometres at its widest point, and cool sea breezes from the meeting of two oceans slow grape ripening along it. That slower ripening underpins the estate's cool-climate white style, while Scarborough's warmer north-facing slopes were chosen for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, the red-wine plantings.

Soil And Site

At the site level, aspect and air are the dividing line. Noordhoek's cool south-facing slopes carry Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, so three white varieties share a cooler planting position. Scarborough's warmer north-facing slopes carry Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz selected for red-wine production. The contrast changes the range before cellar work begins: white grapes come from the cooler exposure, and red grapes from the warmer one.

Story

Sybrand Van Der Spuy's decision to replant Cape Point Vineyards in 1996 gave the estate a new vineyard base. In 1998, the vineyard and cellar helped prompt the declaration of the Cape Point Wine of Origin district. Cape Point Vineyards was established in 2000. The sequence links vineyard work to a formal wine district and then to the estate's own date, while the present range still follows the peninsula's physical divide between cool white plantings and warmer red plantings.

Vineyards And Cellar

At Noordhoek, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay were planted on cool south-facing slopes. At Scarborough, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz were planted on warmer north-facing slopes selected for red wines. The varieties therefore arrive with separate site roles: Sauvignon Blanc and the other white grapes carry the Noordhoek side of the estate, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz carry Scarborough's red-wine side.

Viticulture and cellar work are named as distinct jobs in the current team. Steffan Lochner is the viticulturist, Hannes Meyer the cellar master, with Riandri Visser as head winemaker and Anzette Visser as winemaker. For the house's cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions shape the style. Cool air slows ripening before the grapes reach the cellar, linking the coastal site to the wine's cool-climate character.

Wines

The range reads first as a white and red split. Noordhoek supplies Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, with cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc at the centre. Scarborough supplies Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz for red-wine production on warmer north-facing slopes. The estate also names red blends and rarer varieties such as Sauvignon Gris, so the catalogue extends beyond the principal five plantings without a blend recipe attached to any one bottle.

One bottle has an especially clear role in that range. Cape Point Vineyards Chardonnay 2024 is 100% Chardonnay, a single-variety white with full body, lively acidity and a long, persistent finish. Those cues lend it weight, freshness and length, while the estate's Sauvignon Blanc keeps the range tied to its Atlantic, maritime setting.

In The Glass

In the 2024 Chardonnay, fresh citrus and apricot rise first from the glass. Fine oat pastry follows, and honey broadens the middle of the palate. Mineral freshness keeps the fruit lifted, while subtle spicy oak sits behind it. The mouth stays full as lively acidity carries the wine forward, and the last impression is a persistent, long finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Cape Point Vineyards Chardonnay 2024. It is 100% Chardonnay, so the grape is explicit on the label, and the wine is full-bodied with lively acidity and a persistent finish. Together, these features put palate weight and freshness in the same glass. It is the right first bottle because the white side of the estate becomes tangible in one bottle, from a named grape to a long finish.

Anecdote

In 1996, Sybrand Van Der Spuy replanted Cape Point Vineyards on the Cape Peninsula, among mountain slopes, indigenous fynbos and the Atlantic Ocean. Two years later, the vineyard and cellar helped prompt the declaration of the Cape Point Wine of Origin district. Cape Point Vineyards was established in 2000. The dates sit in sequence on the peninsula: Van Der Spuy's replanting in 1996, the district declaration in 1998, and the estate's establishment in 2000. First came vines in the ground, then a wine district carrying Cape Point, then the estate's own date, 2000.

Final Word

On the Cape Peninsula, Cape Point Vineyards builds its range from two exposures: cool south-facing Noordhoek for Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Chardonnay, and warmer north-facing Scarborough for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Cool sea breezes slow ripening, while Atlantic breezes and maritime conditions shape the estate's cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc. The line from slope and air to grape and glass is direct.

Sources

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