A.A. Badenhorst

The Badenhorst estate is located on the Kalmoefontein farm in Swartland. It is run by two cousins: Heyn and Edi Badenhorst. The decision of the young men to pursue a winemaking career is closely connected with family history and childhood, as often happens.The brothers’ grandfather managed the Groot Constantia farm (on the outskirts of Cape Town) for 46 years. Heyn and Edi grew up there and spent their entire childhood picking grapes, or rather, harvesting them from local vineyards. When Edi was 13 years old, a local winemaker invited him to help in the cellar and allowed him to make his first cuvée. This determined his decision to become a winemaker.Following tradition, after graduating from Elsenburg (where 80% of South African winemakers trained), Edi worked for several years in various estates around the world: Château Angelus, Alain Graillot in the northern Rhône, Wither Hills in New Zealand, and in local estates, firmly establishing himself for 9 years at the renowned Rustenberg estate in Stellenbosch.In 2008, Edi decided it was time to make wine for his own domain. Together with his brother Heyn, they bought an abandoned winery on a neighbouring farm — a cellar abandoned since the 1930s. There were very old vines here, particularly the oldest Grenache in the region.The brothers decided to make organic wines, using the traditions of their winemaking area. The plot was quite large — 60 hectares (of which only 40 were vineyards). From the very beginning, the cousins began using organic methods in the vineyard. The vines here are very old, and the vineyards have never been irrigated. However, the quality of the resulting grapes is exceptional.