Neil Ellis pioneered the négotiant, or non-estate, concept of sourcing grapes from growers all over the Cape as early as 1984, and today has become a pillar and legend of the local industry. Mindful that no single vineyard can satisfy the needs of all grape varieties, Neil Ellis set out to identify distinct terroir in which individual varieties will excel. Neil’s vision has always been to ‘make distinctive, refined wines that are expressive of their terrain and rank amongst South Africa’s finest’. The Terrain Specific range is an expression of this vision.

The mountain vineyards of the ward of Piekenierskloof, sourced from dry land bush vines, are known to produce the best Grenache expressions in the country. The vineyard that Neil sources from was planted in 1964 on their own roots, un-grafted and still completely disease-free.