Laibach Vineyards wine farm can be traced back until the year 1818. Originally named “Good Success” and owned by Dutchman Daniel Johannes van Ryneveld from Amsterdam, this vast farm extended to most of the catchment area in the valley enclosed by the Simonsberg, Kanonkop and Klapmutsberg. Later on it was divided in three farms: Warwick, De Goede Suces and the remainder of the farm Good Success, which has become Laibach in 1994, when entrepreneur Friedrich Laibach realized his dream of owning a vineyard.
Today the deep red soils have been replanted with virus-free new clones and a new winery has been built. The picturesque Laibach vineyards are flanked by the renowned vineyards of Kanonkop, Warwick, Marklew and Lievland.
Ultimately, their wine quality is forever linked to the land where their grapes are grown. Site selection is essential in the making of fine wines, because flavour starts in the vineyards. The Simonsberg terroir with its lean deep red soils (Glovelly, Glenrosa) and cooling maritime winds from nearby False Bay is ideal for red wines of body and complexity.
Laibach Vineyards are committed to producing wines of outstanding quality, that best reflect the unique terroir and the microclimate of the Simonsberg ward near Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s prime wine-growing areas for noble cultivars. Therefore they use a blend of tradition and innovation, adhering to a philosophy of continuous improvement.
At the beginning of this century they started to convert their vineyards gradually to organic farming. The question of agricultural sustainability may not be fully answered with organic farming practices, but it’s a great start. The elimination of toxic agricultural chemicals may reverse the pollution of our surface and groundwater supplies, save the farm workers from certain chronic maladies and even spare wildlife some hideous malformations. The reduction of highly soluble synthetic fertilizers may reduce yields in some crops for a time, but through soil building practices, like recycling of manures and other wastes through composing, and the revitalization of soil with organic matter, they try to create soils capable of sustaining production levels without sacrificing economic concerns. They see themselves as traditionalists. They make wine with minimal intervention to show what the special Simonsberg-Stellenbosch deep red soils (Clovelly and Glenrosa) can produce. On the whole farm they use very little irrigation and they rely on their deep clay soil to keep the roots cool and happy. Their average yield is around 35-40 hectoliters per hectare.
This 2019, Laibach Vineyards (Pty) Ltd have joined Asia Import News and won 2 gold medals in this competition:
THE LADYBIRD White 2017
Awarded Gold by Asia Import News
VARIETAL : 100 % Chardonnay
ALCOHOL : 13.5 % vol.
TOTAL ACIDITY : 5.4 g/l
pH : 3.48
RESIDUAL SUGAR : 2,6 g/l
Proudly present the new vintage of this very popular wine. The 2017 vintage was challenging and needed to let the terroir and experience come together to continue the tradition of world class natural organic wines. The grapes for this wine were handpicked. They try to pick as early as possible because they do not like to use a mash cooler to cool down their grapes. The wine has a light straw colour. The colour is a good indication of style and they are looking for something fresher and lighter than some of their previous vintages. On the nose more white peach than straw and definitely more tropical than lime. A well balanced refreshing palate with a lingering aftertaste. A wine for any occasion but with enough complexity to complement seafood, white meat and rich pasta dishes.
Beautiful light straw colour. Some tropical aromas with papaya and fruit salad evident. A bit of lime on the nose, but also some hints of white stone fruit. On the palate, a lovely balanced softness with great minerality and a lingering acidity. The freshness and elegance of this wine is amazing. It is light to medium bodied and will complement light refreshing food well but in general it is a wine to be enjoyed at any time!
THE LADYBIRD Red 2016
Awarded Gold by Asia Import News
VARIETAL : 24 % Cab. Sauv., 38 % Merlot, 12 % Petit Verdot, 19 % Cab. Franc, 7 % Malbec
ALCOHOL : 14.0 % vol.
TOTAL ACIDITY : 5.7 g/l
pH : 3.56
RESIDUAL SUGAR : 1.9 g/l
A new release of the most popular and best known Organic red wine of Laibach Vineyards . The Ladybird red was first produced in 2003 and is the oldest Organic certified wine from the famous Stellenbosch appellation. The wine is always a blend of 5 Bordeaux varieties and all from only the Laibach “terroir”. All their vineyards are farmed organically since 2000. Thier winemaking is as natural as possible with no fixed recipe and no chemicals at all. All grapes are handpicked in 500kg bins and moved immediately to the cellar. They prefer morning picking before the heat of the days gets to warm.
Deep dark red colour. On the nose aromas of wild berry, cigar box and a hint of dark chocolate. Quite aromatic for such a young wine but showing what purity of organic fruit is all about. A medium bodied palate with juicy fruit and fine integrated tannins. A wine with lots of complexity and structure to age gracefully for the next 5 – 10 years.
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