South Africa · Walker Bay

Whalehaven Wines

Hemel-en-Aarde pioneer with a fresher modern direction, led by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The producer

Whalehaven Wines stands at the entrance to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. Founded in 1995 as the valley’s third producer, it takes its name from the whales visiting nearby Walker Bay. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the central grapes, while Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinotage and Viognier extend the Classic Cultivar range.

Since Silvana Bottega became more involved in 2020, the wines have moved toward lighter, fresher styles. Richard Kershaw and his team joined in 2023 to refine the Terroir and Reserve Series: the former focuses the range through named wines, while the latter selects individual barrels for their aroma, taste and mouthfeel. Mountain Stone Pinot Noir 2023, made from Elgin fruit, shows the red-fruit and spice side of the house.

Known for

French-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from broad varietal wines to site-focused and barrel-selected bottlings.

Notable facts

The story

From the valley’s third winery to a new wine direction

Whalehaven opened in 1995 as the third wine producer in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, after Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson. The winery stood at the entrance to the valley near Hermanus and took its name from the whales visiting nearby Walker Bay. In the late 1990s, Alberto Bottega made his first investment in Whalehaven and later took full ownership. His daughter Silvana Bottega became more actively involved in directing the wines in 2020, favouring lighter, fresher styles. In 2023, she brought Richard Kershaw aboard, and Kershaw’s team began refining the Terroir and Reserve Series.

From the valley’s third winery to a new wine direction

Whalehaven opened in 1995 as the third wine producer in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, after Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson. The winery stood at the entrance to the valley near Hermanus and took its name from the whales visiting nearby Walker Bay. In the late 1990s, Alberto Bottega made his first investment in Whalehaven and later took full ownership. His daughter Silvana Bottega became more actively involved in directing the wines in 2020, favouring lighter, fresher styles. In 2023, she brought Richard Kershaw aboard, and Kershaw’s team began refining the Terroir and Reserve Series.

From the atlas

Whalehaven Wines

At A Glance

Whalehaven Wines stands at the entrance to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, where it began in 1995 as the valley’s third producer. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay lead the house, while a broader collection includes Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinotage and Viognier. The current direction favours lighter, fresher wines, with the Terroir and Reserve bottlings bringing more focus to named wines and selected barrels.

The Producer

Whalehaven’s name honours the whales that visit the nearby Walker Bay coast, but its bottles are rooted in grapes rather than coastal imagery. The house is most closely associated with French-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: two varieties used here for red-fruit perfume, acidity and measured oak texture. Alberto Bottega first invested in the late 1990s and later took full ownership; the family’s involvement now runs through Silvana Bottega’s wine direction and the work of Richard Kershaw, his team and longstanding winemaker Reino Thiart.

Place

The cellar sits near Hermanus at the entrance to Hemel-en-Aarde, a valley name that matters most on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir labels. Most of Whalehaven’s fruit comes from Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley or Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, placing those wines within the producer’s local sourcing pattern. Mountain Stone Pinot Noir 2023 is different: its 100% Pinot Noir fruit comes from Elgin Valley, so its red-cherry and spice profile should be read as an Elgin expression rather than a Hemel-en-Aarde one.

Soil And Site

The documented sites identify regions and vineyards, not a verified soil profile for the whole estate. Sandstone Strata Chardonnay 2022, for example, came from two Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay vineyards separated by a small irrigation dam; combining their fruit makes a Chardonnay shaped by two nearby vineyard sources rather than a single parcel. Mountain Stone’s name does not establish a rock or soil composition, while its stated Elgin origin remains the useful geographic fact behind that Pinot Noir.

Story

Whalehaven’s recent story turns on a change in how its wines are directed. In 2020, Silvana Bottega became more actively involved and favoured lighter, fresher styles, a choice that points toward brighter fruit, acidity and less weight in the glass. In 2023 she brought Richard Kershaw aboard; Kershaw and his team have since helped refine the Terroir and Reserve Series. The result is a range that still includes several grapes, but gives Chardonnay and Pinot Noir more sharply defined roles.

Vineyards And Cellar

Mountain Stone Pinot Noir 2023 shows the cellar’s gentler red-wine handling. The Elgin fruit was destemmed without crushing, limiting forceful extraction before fermentation and helping avoid hard tannins. After pressing and two rackings, the wine aged in 228-litre Burgundian oak barrels, a vessel choice that can add spice and mocha notes without displacing the wine’s raspberry and red-cherry fruit.

Sandstone Strata Chardonnay 2022 followed a separate route. Whole Chardonnay bunches were pressed, the juice settled, then fermented in barrel and matured for four months without lees stirring. Whole-bunch pressing and barrel fermentation frame citrus and orchard-fruit character with oak texture, while the absence of lees stirring keeps the palate from becoming overly creamy. These are documented details for the 2022 vintage.

Wines

The Classic Cultivar wines are Whalehaven’s broadest tier, spanning Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and Viognier. Their role is varietal breadth: a Sauvignon Blanc can lean into citrus and freshness, while Merlot or Cabernet Franc brings darker fruit, body and tannin.

The Terroir Series narrows the lens through wines such as Mountain Stone Pinot Noir and Sandstone Strata Chardonnay. Mountain Stone is a gently extracted, oak-aged Elgin Pinot Noir built around red fruit and spice; Sandstone Strata is barrel-fermented Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay with citrus and a firmer oak-shaped texture. Reserve Series wines sit above them as individual barrels selected after assessment for aroma, taste and mouthfeel. Seascape Reserve Chardonnay is the clearest Chardonnay example of this barrel-selection approach.

In The Glass

Mountain Stone Pinot Noir 2023 opens with floral notes, wild strawberry and earthy detail, then moves through raspberry, red cherry, clove, praline, mocha and toasted spice. Its palate should feel medium-bodied rather than heavy: gentle handling keeps the tannin supple, while Burgundian barrels bring a dry, savoury edge to the fruit and a spice-marked finish.

The 2022 Chardonnay descriptions run from orange, freesia and lime cordial toward lemon curd, acacia honey and fresh-cut hay. Sandstone Strata’s barrel fermentation gives Chardonnay a fuller texture beside citrus fruit; Seascape Reserve’s selected barrels gather a more layered Chardonnay expression, where blossom, citrus, honeyed notes and oak can carry through the finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Whalehaven Terroir Series Mountain Stone Pinot Noir 2023. It is 100% Elgin Pinot Noir, destemmed without crushing, then aged in 228-litre Burgundian oak barrels. The bottle brings together floral perfume, wild strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, clove and toasted spice, with enough dry tannin and oak detail to give the fruit shape. Its documented grape origin and cellar method make it the most direct introduction to Whalehaven’s lighter, fresher red-wine direction.

Anecdote

In 1995, Whalehaven opened as the third wine producer in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, after Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson. The new winery stood at the entrance to the valley near Hermanus and took its name from the whales visiting nearby Walker Bay. In the late 1990s, Alberto Bottega made his first investment in Whalehaven and later took full ownership. His daughter Silvana Bottega became more active in directing the wines in 2020, favouring lighter, fresher styles. In 2023, she brought Richard Kershaw aboard, and Kershaw’s team began refining the Terroir and Reserve Series.

Final Word

Whalehaven is worth approaching through the difference between its labels: broad Classic Cultivar wines for grape variety, Terroir wines for more focused Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Reserve wines selected barrel by barrel. Mountain Stone Pinot Noir offers red fruit, dry tannin and spice; the Chardonnays move toward citrus, blossom, oak texture and a longer savoury finish.

Sources

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