Springfield

Robertson

Set in the heart of the mountain-ringed Robertson Valley in the Western Cape of South Africa, Springfield Estate is a family-run wine farm owned by ninth-generation descendants of French Huguenots, who came to South Africa from the Loire in 1688 with bundles of vines under their arms.

The farm has been in the family since 1898 and today, using a combination of sometimes risky winemaking techniques, traditional methods and modern technology, along with a sense of practicality and dogged determination borne from living off the land all their lives, the Bruwer family is able to handcraft wine true to its motto: Made on Honour.

The Springfield philosophy is to produce wine as naturally as possible. The winemaking process is kept direct and uncomplicated – the wine is left to make itself, as was done centuries ago. This allows for an honest expression of the estate’s terroir.  At Springfield we would rather intervene in the vineyard than in the cellar. Good wine is grown, not made. Springfield wines are made traditionally and according to ancient methods. Most of the wines are fermented using natural wild yeasts found on the grape skins – high-risk winemaking that leads to lost vintages every few years. Our honour is our conscience, and the hundreds of small decisions made every day with this in mind, results in wine that we are proud to call our own.

Wild Yeast Chardonnay 2021

The Wild Yeast Chardonnay is fermented using the native, wild yeasts that occur naturally on the skins of the grapes. Unwooded, it is fermented in underground cement tanks in a slow, volatile process that can take anywhere between 6 – 9 months. This method, although risky, results in incredibly expressive wine.

Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay 2019

In the ancient style of Burgundy, rarely is this technique with wild yeast and no fining/filtration used in the new world. A wine of distinctive and classical character, it will develop slowly and is made to last (we hope) a lifetime. Nuances of lime, Cointreau and oranges – a big wine with classical character!

Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

In order to achieve a luscious, juicy wine, we try to have as little intervention in the cellar as possible. Simply de-stemmed, the whole, uncrushed bunches are transported using only a gravity flow system. Whole berry maceration is followed by fermentation with natural yeasts, racking and one year’s maturation in oak barrels. The result is a velvety wine with softer tannins and classical varietal characteristics. This traditional wine is unfiltered and unfined, which may deposit sediment and might require decanting.

Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Stones have no flavor that they impart on wine – they simply make the soil less. If there is less soil the vine produces more concentrated fruit, the same happens with old vines, also when vines are planted in high density. As the rock opposes the vine so does a nearby plant; and age limits growth and crop. Life from Stone has the good fortune to have all these 3 concentrating factors in its favor – thus the unmatched complexity of a great wine.

Springfield Albarino - 2021

We first discovered Albariño many years ago on our travels. Though many bottles of wine were drunk, it was the memory of the Albariño that stayed with us long after we returned home. Over several years, the single bundle of vines we received from a fellow producer was slowly multiplied until a full vineyard was planted, and the crop it bore did not disappoint the memory of that magical wine we tasted so long ago. Redolent and full-bodied with apricot, nectarine and floral aromas, yet with a saline minerality and bright acidity, it’s a wine that continues to captivate us to this day.

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