Art for the Arch Auction for the Tutu Legacy Fund
Live Virtual Auction, 22 September 2021
Day Sale
About this Item
Dating back to 1822, Deetlefs is the second oldest family owned wine estate in South Africa. It is situated at the foot of the Du Toitskloof Mountains in the Breedekloof Valley, in the small town of Rawsonville and is run by the seventh generation, Kobus Deetlefs. Deetlefs produces three different ranges of wine including Deetlefs Familie, Deetlefs Estate and Stonecross, and a large portion of their production is sold abroad.
Deetlefs Wine Estate (Est 1822), situated an hour drive from Cape Town in the picturesque Breedekloof valley, is the 2nd oldest wine estate in South Africa under the ownership of the same family and will celebrate its 200 year anniversary in 2022.
Back in 1974, two winemakers from Breedekloof entered into a friendly wager. One claimed it was impossible to mature a Muscat d’Alexandrie for any length of time. The other winemaker believed otherwise. His name was Philippus Petrus Deetlefs. To prove his theory, he filled a third of a tank with Hanepoot lees and the remaining two-thirds with fortified Hanepoot wine which was the start of a new chapter in the Deetlefs story. Fifteen years later, in 1989, when the tank was opened for the first time they were met by a sublimely flavoured wine.
Today, this Muscat d’Alexandrie in true Madeira style is deemed one of the world’s rarest wines, as the small volume of this very special batch, linked to a unique story and carrying a message of sustainability, is decreasing.
In honour of Philip Deetlefs’ legacy, only one small batch of Muscat d’Alexandrie is made every twenty-five years.
Provenance
Donated by Kobus Deetlefs.
Awards:
2018 - 96 Points by Tim Atkin
2003 - Muscats du Monde Gold, France
2002 - Michelangelo Gold, SA
Critics Ratings
“Highly individual style; for more specialised palates” –Dave Hughes
“Superb old Muscat and a rarity” –John Platter
“A record for a 375ml bottle of South African wine” – Finance Week, March 2003