Mont du Toit Kelder lies at the foot of the Hawequa mountain, Wellington, Western Cape, bordering Paarl, the centre of wine production in South Africa, some 65 km north-north-east of Cape Town. The property was acquired by Stephan and Carolina du Toit in 1996. Since then the farm has undergone fundamental change and improvements with the sole aim of producing premium red blends. Some 28 hectares of vines grow on north and northwest facing slopes of weathered granite and Clovelly Hutton soils, with sandy loam in the lower areas. Only red varieties have been planted so far - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Alicante Bouschet, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot and Tinta Barocca. Since the maiden vintage 11 years ago we have received international recognition for the consistent high quality of our wines.

Wine production at Mont du Toit is based on a traditional ‘low-tech’ approach. The entire Mont du Toit philosophy relies on the growing of the right grapes, keeping yields down, doing green harvesting (pruning away excessive grapes) at veraison and meticulously selecting only ripe fruit by hand during harvest.  Vineyards range in age from 3 to 25 years. The older vines contribute mostly to the two principal blends, Le Sommet and Mont du Toit.

The hand picked grapes are collected in small crates and again undergo selection by hand on a mobile sorting table in the cellar. After destemming the grapes are fed by gravity into the fermentation tanks where maceration takes place for extended periods, enhancing both colour and flavour. From the fermentation cellar the wine is fed by gravity into small, mainly French, oak barrels lying in an underground maturation cellar. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the barrels and the wine matures in them for up to 2 years. Each vineyard block and variety is vinified separately under the watchful eyes of our winemaker Bernd Philippi, award winning and renowned winemaker from Germany who provides expert guidance for vineyard and cellar. His meticulous tasting creates exceptional blends for each of the wines in our range.

All our wines are blended from the cultivars referred to above.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz are the most important components, to which the other are added to the degree necessary to create the fruit, elegance, balance and lingering aftertaste we seek for our wines.

There is no formula, and each year nature dictates how the blend is made up. All our wines are matured in small, mainly French oak barrels, made from wood from a variety of forests. New wood is used judiciously, so as to retain fruit flavours to the full.

The blends are:

Hawequas:                   Named after the mountain depicted above; for export only; matured for 16 months in small oak barrels; fruity, well-rounded; well-suited for every day drinking; goes well with meat, cheese and pasta.

Les Coteaux:               The  French word for "slopes" - matured up to 23 months in small oak barrels; fruit, balanced and long aftertaste.  A sophisticated wine, with a bottle ageing capability of 8 or more years.

Mont du Toit:              This is our flagship.  Matured for 23 months in small oak barrel; bottle aged for a further year before release; complex flavours of red fruit; mouth-filling; elegant yet forceful;  flavours on front, middle and back palate; long aftertaste; a wine that will keep and grow for 10 or more years.

Le Sommet:                 the peak - made only in exceptional years in very limited quantities - a wine displaying all the qualities of Mont du Toit but adding to that a special refinement  and fullness which nature has permitted - a special wine for a very special occasion. Can be kept for 10 - 15 years.