Our Producers
Bouchard Finlayson
Bouchard Finlayson is best known for its award winning Pinot Noir. This grape variety is ideally suited to the clay shale terroir of the valley. For the winemaker, Peter Finlayson, Pinot Noir is a passion that he has been pursuing for over 20 years.
The Chardonnay is grown in the Kaaimansgat (Crocodile's Lair) vineyard that rests high in the mountains at 700
metres above sea level. The wines reflect the terroir with excellent minerality.
Bouchard Finlayson - Winner of Wine Innovation 2009 Business Awards 'The Best Cellar Door Operation' in South Africa.
Set in the temperate Hemel-en-Aarde Valley ward in Walker Bay with striking sea views of Hermanus, our wines are synonymous with excellence. The maritime climate is perfect for the growing of pinot noir of which we are most famous and all our wines offer a true reflection of terroir.
Bouchard Finlayson was recently recognised as the only South African winery to reach the Wine Innovation 2009 Business Awards 'The Best Cellar
www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za
click for image gallery
Green Credentials
www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za
click for image gallery
Green Credentials
- Profile
- Region
Winemaker, Peter Finlayson, is a graduate oenologist from Stellenbosch University. He furthered his studies at Geisenheim in the Rheingau in 1975. A period (between 1976 and 1979) at the fledgling Boschendal winery was followed by the challenge of setting up and running the first winery in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. His sucess at this cellar became legendary culminating in the 1989 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award for his achievements with the Pinot Noir grape. Peter is committed to raising the standards of his award wining wines. Many study trips to Burgundy have ensured that valuable friendships have been kindled with associates such as Paul Bouchard and Bruno Lorenzen. These contacts have spawned a web of knowledge, which can only be measured in the pleasure enjoyed from the product of Peter's winemaking.
Bouchard Finlayson is situated in the wine ward of Walker Bay, mid way between Cape point (Cape Town) and Cape Agulhas (the most southerly tip of Africa). The climate of Walker Bay is largely influenced by the nearby, cold Atlantic Ocean rendering it one of the coolest wine growing areas in the Cape. The Hemel-en-Aarde valley, home to Bouchard Finlayson, is central to Walker Bay. The valley is surrounded and sheltered by a mountain barrier, formed by Galpin Peak (810 meters) and the Tower of Babel (1200 meters), which traps the cloud cover and moisture in from the sea by the prevailing wind. Summer conditions are consequently warm rather than hot, and winter conditions are mild and frost-free.