Meerlust Winery Guide

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Last updated: April 10, 2024

Winery Overview

This majestic and historic wine farm, situated just south of Stellenbosch, produces a superlative range of well-crafted reds and whites to rival any in South Africa. Its flagship label, Rubicon, is spoken of by critics in the same breath as top Medoc, and it’s undeniable that this sublime Bordeaux blend remains one of the Cape’s finest reds. It displays hallmark elegance and refinement, the signature stamp of winemaker Chris Williams, and the ethos of Meerlust.

Meerlust has existed as a Cape farm for several centuries and remains one of the most beautiful in the Stellenbosch zone. A German immigrant founded it called Henning Huising, who fell in love with the area, and decided to settle in the Stellenbosch Valley in 1963. Building his new home, he chooses the name “Meerlust,” meaning “pleasure of the sea.” A fitting title, as like centuries before, the estate today is located only a few miles from False Bay. However, the Huising family did not keep control of Meerlust, and in 1756, it was sold to the Myburgh family. For eight generations, successive family members have nurtured the potential of this exceptional piece of land, adding a family cemetery, rose garden, dovecote, and bird sanctuary over the years to complement the white-washed manor house.

But despite such an impressive historical lineage, it was not until the 1970s that Meerlust started to produce wines that we would recognize today. The first vintage of their now-lauded Cabernet Sauvignon was made in 1975 by Nico Myburgh; the now-legendary Rubicon followed this in 1980.

This remarkable property has recently gone from strength to strength under the careful stewardship of 8th-generation Hannes Myburgh, who studied winemaking at Geisenheim in Germany and Chateau Lafite in France. His collaboration with winemaker Chris Williams was a masterstroke; Meerlust continues to release a small collection of superb wines, including a toasty Chardonnay that is among the best in the Cape. They benefit greatly from the vine’s proximity to False Bay, which ripens Meerlust’s choice vineyards in a relativity cool microclimate, contributing significantly to their signature elegance and understatement. But don’t take our word for it; just try Rubicon. A rich, concentrated Bordeaux blend, Rubicon is marked by cedar and dark fruit, with no hint of the baked and jammy flavors often found among its peers—a fitting testament to this wonderful estate’s winemaking skill and unbeatable situation.