Vines and viticulture
The promise of a new vintage
A true Cinderella story, Brookdale’s vineyards held immense possibility, but needed love and care to realise their potential. In this tale, Tim Rudd plays the role of ‘fairy godmother’. Having acquired the land in 2015, Tim established an innovative working wine farm surrounded by natural beauty in the Paarl Winelands of South Africa.
Of the 67 hectares on the estate, 24 are under vine planted from 2016 (and this is still growing). A single block of ±38-year-old Chenin Blanc was saved from the pre-existing vines and forms the cornerstone of the current Brookdale range.
The vineyard philosophy was to identify the most promising sites on the estate and establish thoughtfully conceived blocks. A blend of unusual grape varietals to South Africa from Portugal, France and Italy, as well as the Paarl region’s most notable varietals, makes for an enthralling vineyard makeup.
At Brookdale, we believe in exploration and freedom of expression – the expression, that is, of fruit! With flavour profiles as diverse as they are intriguing, and a few surprises up our sleeve, join us to explore the terroir for yourself.
A MAVERICK COLLECTION
Innovation & Inspiration
Our approach in the cellar is … unconventional. With winemaker Kiara Scott, and proprietor Tim Rudd offering sage advice, the Brookdale winemaking team is as creative as they are unpredictable.
Formulas are thrown out the window. We embrace harvest specific and site specific practices within the Paarl wine valley. We explore techniques in varying combinations as we search for the right approach for each block and vine. It’s a continual process of experimentation and discovery as we investigate our curiosity and test new theories.
We might harvest a single block in batches to ensure balance, combine basket pressing and foot stomping for free run juice extraction, or explore a mix of steel tank and wood fermentation. You’ll have to wait for each vintage to find out what it has in store.
What you can be sure of is quality with each wine we release. As passionate wine enthusiasts with an outstanding vineyard with which to try new things, our primary goal is to produce extraordinary wines vintage after vintage.
The Vines
VARIETALS
Chenin Blanc / Grenache Noir / Marsanne / Roussanne /
Touriga Nacional / Piquepoul Blanc / Petit Syrah /
Syrah / Grenache Blanc / 16 Varietal White Field Blend
UNDER VINE
24 hectares
YOUNGEST BLOCK
2 years
OLDEST BLOCK
±38 year old Chenin Blanc
SOIL
Granite & Clay
WIND
North-West & South-East
HARVEST YIELD
110 tonnes in 2021
WINE OF ORIGIN
Paarl, South Africa
“Wine tickled that part of my brain
that’s always curious. In the beginning,
it was about the science, and it became
about testing the limits.”
KIARA SCOTT, WINEMAKER
STORIES ABOUT OUR WINES & VINES
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