Fijnbosch vineyards Capensis

Capensis exists for a single, audacious purpose: to produce the finest Chardonnay in South Africa. Founded in 2013 as a joint venture between Barbara Banke of Jackson Family Wines and Antony Beck of Graham Beck Wines, the project set out to prove that the Western Cape could rival Burgundy for world-class Chardonnay -- and then set about doing exactly that.

The partnership brought together complementary strengths. Jackson Family Wines, headquartered in California, has a global reputation for site-driven Chardonnay through estates like Stonestreet, Arrowood and Vite-Argentine. Graham Beck, one of South Africa's most celebrated producers, brought deep local knowledge of Cape terroir and viticulture. Together, they recruited winemaker Graham Weerts, a South African with extensive experience across both hemispheres, to lead the project.

The estate vineyard is Fijnbosch, meaning "fine bush" in the old Dutch settlers' language, a reference to the natural fynbos vegetation of the area. Located in the Banghoek Valley on the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein mountains in Stellenbosch, Fijnbosch sits at nearly 600 metres elevation, making it one of the highest-planted vineyards in the district. The property was acquired by Banke and Beck in 2014 while still predominantly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. They ripped out the existing vines, left the land fallow for three years, and then replanted exclusively to Chardonnay -- a bold commitment to a singular vision.

The nearly 20 acres of Chardonnay are planted in clay soils on steep, high-elevation terrain. The altitude and mountain aspect deliver cool conditions that preserve natural acidity and extend the growing season, producing fruit with pronounced citrus character, mineral tension and structural refinement.

Capensis produces two wines. The Capensis Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from the estate Fijnbosch vineyard and the neighbouring Nooitgedacht vineyard. The Capensis Fijnbosch Chardonnay is a single-vineyard wine sourced exclusively from the "Flowers" block at the highest point of the estate, produced only in exceptional vintages and limited to roughly 100 cases. Its inaugural vintage was 2015.

The tasting room in the Banghoek Valley is open Monday to Friday 09:00-16:00 and Saturday 09:00-14:00, offering visitors a focused experience centred entirely on Chardonnay in one of Stellenbosch's most dramatic mountain settings.