Kleine Zalze

Kleine Zalze

Kleine Zalze is an award-winning winery located in the heart of the Cape Winelands, just three kilometers from Stellenbosch. Wine has been made on a small scale on our estate since 1695, but in 1996, when Kobus Basson and his family bought the property, the modern Kleine Zalze was born.

Our philosophy is simple: success starts in the vineyards. Exceptional wines are made possible by selecting varieties and clones specifically suited to the different soils and slopes, and by further careful management of the farm's extensive natural resources.

This constant attention to detail culminated in Kleine Zalze  reached new heights in 2020 and was named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter's South African Wine Guide, perhaps the most comprehensive guide to South African wine in the world.

More recently Kleine Zalze won four Double Golds and the Best Achiever award at the acclaimed Veritas Awards 2022.

 Vineyards of Kleine Zalze

The history of Kleine Zalze

A 1692 census shows that Nicolaas Cleef had been settled since 1683 on a farm known as Groote Zalze, just outside Stellenbosch on the banks of the Blaauwklippen River. Cleef was born in Grosszalze, Germany, and married Barbara Lefevre, a Huguenot refugee. of Fleurbaix, Belgium in 1684. By 1692 they had a family with a daughter and a son and had planted 7,000 vines on the Groote Zalze. In 1695, Simon van der Stel granted Cleef ownership (title) of the 57 morgen of land that he had cleared and cultivated for twelve years.

Today, 18 morgen of this donation lies within the boundaries of the subdivided part known as Kleine Zalze , adjacent to another part derived from a subsequent donation (1818) to the owners of the Groote Zalze.

Nicolaas Cleef died in 1708 and his widow Barbara and their children Anna Catherina and Jochem continued the farming business. Anna Catherina married Hans Jacob Conterman, whose family name was Grundermann (until his arrival in the Cape in 1796). Conterman arrived at the Cape as a soldier, but was soon released from his duties and registered as a civilian.

More recently, Kobus Basson and his family acquired the property in 1996 and proceeded to renovate the cellar and replant the vineyards to build the modern Kleine Zalze .

In September 2022, ownership passed to AdVini, a world-renowned French wine company, beginning a new chapter for Kleine Zalze Wines.

In 1713 Anna Catherina and Hans (also known as Jan) inherited the Groote Zalze. Anna Catherina died in 1720 and Hans remarried and sold the Groote Zalze to lieutenant DC Nyseh in 1722. Although Nyseh owned the Groote Zalze until 1758, nothing more is known about him. In 1758 the Groote Zalze was sold to Johannes Colyn, who in turn sold it to Wilhelmus Krige in 1762.

In 1809 Krige de Groote sold Zalze to Andries Francois du Toit, great-grandson of Francois du Toit, a Huguenot refugee. In 1818, Andries du Toit received a grant of 250 morgen of land bordering the Groote Zalze from the new British administration. The larger property, a total of 307 morgen, was divided among Andries' great-grandchildren. Through ups and downs of family fortunes and a large number of male descendants, the Du Toit family had to hold onto Groote Zalze for 166 years before Gilbeys Distillers and Vintners purchased two parts of the land and consolidated it into what is today known as Kleine Zalze . .

In 1996, the Basson family purchased Kleine Zalze and improved and developed the property while establishing a premium Stellenbosch wine brand. Since 1996, the family also acquired the rest of the land, once known as Groote Zalze.

Vineyards

Located on different slopes, soils and aspects, the vineyards that bear the fruit for the wines of the Kleine Zalze are exposed to a fresh sea breeze from the Atlantic coast, which is only 15 km away. This cool climate delivers delicate flavors while providing optimal growing and ripening conditions for our fruit.

The fruit comes from the 120 hectares of vines planted on the Kleine Zalze estate, while the remainder comes from long-term contracts, which give control from vine to bottle. Vintner Henning Retief forms the basis for our award-winning wine portfolio and guarantees grapes of exceptional quality by using viticultural techniques that focus on sustainability.

Decisions such as the planting direction of the vines, the trellis and height of the vines above the ground, as well as the shape and density of the leaf canopies, all affect the quality of the fruit delivered to the cellar. Extensive yield reduction is also implemented to produce the best quality fruit-driven wines with excellent character and aging potential.

Green Approach

From the start, the environment has been an important consideration for us and has been continually taken into account in the development of the estate. We comply with the internationally recognized Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) program. The program certifies that the grapes and wine are produced using environmentally sustainable production methods. Compliance with IPW guidelines assures the buyer and consumer that the production process is environmentally sustainable and that food safety requirements have been met.

We support and are accredited by the Wine & Agriculture Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) and also actively support local charities and organizations involved in strengthening the community.

Winery

Our winemaking philosophy is underpinned by a three-pronged strategy of nurturing and developing all components involved in the process: the vineyards,  the cellar and the people.

The vineyards are where all the great wines are made and we leave no stone unturned to produce the best quality grapes. The winery is responsible for ensuring the highest quality throughout the winemaking process  quality levels to produce great wines and it is our people who make it all possible.

Kleine Zalze