Greg Sherwood MW: Klein Graniet – small property, serious Stellenbosch Cabernet

Klein Graniet is a small boutique family wine farm on the R44 highway, on the western slopes of the Simonsberg just a few kilometres north of Stellenbosch. It is a small five-hectare estate that has stayed small on purpose, and its stated belief over the years has been that excellence comes from focusing on quality, not quantity.

My interest in this small estate was recently reignited after retasting both their Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 and their Tribute Cape Bordeaux Blend 2021 at the Cabernet Collective tasting in London, where both wines greatly impressed me.

Their story is a fairly long one, according to co-proprietor Retief du Toit, with the original farm being bought back in 1998 from the son-in-law of ex-President P.W.Botha, with vines planted on the small property from 2008 onwards, and the first experimental vintages only bottled in 2011.

The estate was originally bought by Marc Wiehe, their stepfather and then owner of the L’Avenir wine estate, and his wife, Hester. It now belongs entirely to the Du Toit family and is farmed by brothers Retief and Stephan, the latter also making the Klein Graniet wines.

The brothers named the estate and its original label Deux Frères, honouring their respective partnership, with the vineyards sitting on traditional Stellenbosch decomposed granite soils. This helped shape their farming philosophy with wines only made from their own vines, carefully farmed with the sole aim being to express the precise character of the farm’s terroir and soils through their wines.

Transition from Deux Frères to Klein Graniet

In 2025 the label required a change. The estate announced the renaming of its wine label from Deux Frères to Klein Graniet, a name reflecting both the geology and the landscape of the property. The name works on two levels, Retief told me, “Klein” being Afrikaans for small, and a nod to the compact nature of the family farm with only four hectares of vines, and “Graniet” referring to the famous Granitic soils of the property.

“This was merely a change of label, not of ownership or place,” Retief confirms, stating that the farm continues today to carry the Deux Frères name, honouring their legacy as brothers, winemakers and stewards of the land. But in the end, the wines required a name change after a serious legal challenge from the Deux Frères craft Gin distillery in Zurich, Switzerland, ultimately forced the decision.

Today, a notable Stellenbosch single cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon anchors the range, the same grape also forming the foundation of their flagship red, the Tribute Cape Bordeaux Blend, which is complemented by additions of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

As always, all the fruit used for Klein Graniet’s wines are estate farmed and grown with the exception of a small parcel of Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1985 on the neighbouring farm owned by the Slayley Family Estate but managed and farmed by brothers Retief and Stefan.

This Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc block is one of the three oldest certified Sauvignon Blanc plantings in the Cape, another being the very impressive Les Dames de 1987 block produced by Terre Plaisible in Franschhoek, made by winemaking legend Adam Mason.

Another notable wine in the Klein Graniet range is of course their excellent single cultivar Mourvèdre. Originally produced as a Shiraz / Mourvèdre blend in a handful of vintages, it was eventually decided for commercial as well as quality reasons, to discontinue the Shiraz and regraft the vines to Cabernet Franc, leaving the Mourvèdre red to become its own unique entity.

Alongside the Mourvèdre red, Klein Graniet also produces a very notable Mourvèdre Rosé. A true rarity in the Cape when used in its pure form a la Bandol in France (the other noteworthy Stellenbosch example being the famous Cape Coral Rosé from Waterkloof), Klein Graniet farms a single block of it in deeper, sandy granitic soils with part of the crop consigned to a dry Rosé wine, picked early for freshness and then given a very gentle skin contact that produces its signature pale salmon colour – for me, a real gem in the range.

The Klein Graniet vines might now be settling into their late teenage years, planted at 5,000 to 5,500 vines per hectare density compared to the normal 3,000 to 3,500 vines per hectare average, yielding a healthy eight tons of grapes per hectare on average, nevertheless, the estate retains an element of unwarranted anonymity among many consumers.

Quality considered, the most exciting times seemingly still lie ahead for this small boutique winery that is slowly but surely making steady inroads into the UK’s more discerning fine wine collector market.

In mid-October, I caught up with fellow Pretoria boy Retief du Toit in London for a one-on-one range tasting and chat after showing his wines at the Wines of South Africa ‘There’s Sunshine Inside’ Trade Tasting 2026. My full notes are below.

Klein Graniet Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

Made from three different clones planted in this block with almost solid Granite as the bedrock. Aged in French oak barriques for circa 22 months, the wine shows classical layers of violets and dried herbs, black currant, crushed Granite, sweet cedar oak spice and a hint of black chai tea leaf and graphite. The mouthfeel of fleshy and incredibly supple, showing a peppery, earthy black berry spice, hints of earthy plum and sappy oak with a dusting of Christmas spices. Full and fleshy, this wine speaks of a ripe, warm, muscular vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink this Cabernet Sauvignon now or age comfortably for another 8 to 10 years.

(93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Klein Graniet Tribute Cape Bordeaux Blend 2019, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec aged for 24 months in 225 litre French barriques with circa 15% new, reveals an aromatics of smoky gunpowder, sweet lavender, violets, wet tobacco leaf and pepper corn spice over lashings of rich earthy black and blue berry fruits, all underpinned by a dusty, crushed Granitic minerality. The palate is sweet fruited and impressively fleshy and elegant, the concentrated blue and black berry fruits delightfully harmonious, the tannins polished and pinpoint and the acids very well integrated contributing to a whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts. An intelligently assembled Cape Bordeaux blend that is drinking very well at the moment but should age effortlessly for another 8 to 10 years.

(94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Klein Graniet No 42. Mourvèdre 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 12.5% Abv.

Made from 13-year-old vines, the grapes were fermented in open top fermenters using only gentle pump overs and no punch downs, before being transferred to old 500 litre French barrels for 12 months. The aromatics are beautifully fragrant and lifted boasting complex notes of bramble berries, wild strawberries, macerated oranges, citrus peel and delicately sappy cedar spice notes. Beautifully elegant and light touch, there is plenty of elegance and finesse on display, the fruit obviously handled very sensitively to ensure a fine-grained texture and supple powdery tannins all wrapped in a juicy, tangy acidity. The top notes of black cherry and blue berry spice develop in the glass and linger on a cool, focused finish. Seamless, silky and effortlessly accessible with an underlying structure making it a wonderfully characterful gastronomic wine. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Klein Graniet Mourvèdre Rosé 2025, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.

Made from pure Mourvedre, this pale salmon pink Rosé shares a lot in common with the great wines of Bandol in the South of France. The aromatics reveal a subtle struck flint reduction before hints of red currants, cranberry and potpourri over a solid base of Granitic mineral spice. Vibrant and mouthwatering, the superb 2025 vintage in the Cape offers up a vibrantly energetic palate of orange peel, cranberry and tart red cherry fruits, layered with a wet stone minerality and a gentle dusting of dried herb nuances on the finish. Succulent, tangy but dry on the finish, this is a seriously delicious Rosé to build your summer around! Drink now and over the next 2 to 4+ years.

(93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Klein Graniet Sauvignon Blanc 2024, WO Stellenbosch, 12% Abv.

Sourced from a 1.5-hectare plot of Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1985 on the neighbouring Slayley Estate farm that is dryland farmed and tended by Klein Graniet. Stainless steel fermented but left on its lees for 4 months, it shows impressively pure, crystalline notes of white peach, green melon, Cape Gooseberry and freshly cut Granny Smith apples with a delicate undertone of Granitic mineral complexity. Fleshy and supple in the mouth, there is a cool, glycerol weight to the wine, hints of yellow orchard fruits, quince and more green apple notes, leading to a long, tangy classically dry finish. Drink now to 2030+.

(92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

• Greg Sherwood was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and as the son of a career diplomat, spent his first 21 years traveling the globe with his parents. With a Business Management and Marketing degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Sherwood began his working career as a commodity trader. In 2000, he decided to make more of a long-held interest in wine taking a position at Handford Wines in South Kensington, London, working his way up to the position of Senior Wine Buyer over 22 years. Sherwood currently consults to a number of top fine wine merchants in London while always keeping one eye firmly on the South African wine industry. He qualified as the 303rd Master of Wine in 2007.