Keermont Vineyards, Where Mountains Meet.

At this year’s Cape Cru, the premier South African wine event in the Netherlands, we had the pleasure of meeting Alex Starey from Keermont Vineyards. After tasting his wines and hearing about his journey, we knew we had to explore more about Keermont Vineyards and Alex’s story. Fortunately, Alex was available for an interview, giving us an in-depth look at the diverse and exceptional range of wines coming from this unique corner of Stellenbosch.

Alex Starey and Keermont Vineyards

Alex Starey, after having completed his BSc in Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University, quickly realised that mass-produced, generic wine was not his cup of tea. After a few internships at a Chilean bulk producer, and a winery making neutral base wine for Cava, this notion was further strengthened. Especially after a weekend trip to Priorat with Chris Mullineux and Eben Sadie, he fell in love with the philosophy of farming smaller-scale vineyards with a sharp focus on quality. After these experiences he returned to his home region of the Blaauwklippen Valley, and was accepted as an intern at De Trafford (neighboring wine farm of Keermont) for the 2004 harvest. It was at this time that Keermont Vineyards had just started up, something Alex quickly got wind of.

The story of Keermont began in 2003 when Mark Wraith, the current owner and founder of Keermont, bought the Keermont farm – at which time the grapes grown were all sold to other wineries. In 2005, following extensive soil studies, Mark decided to employ Alex (who after his internship at De Trafford left his resumé with Mark and went on to work a harvest for Daphne Glorian’s Clos Erasmus) to aid with setting up and replanting many of the vineyards in order to create a more commercial grape growing venture. This resulted in the original plantings of 8 hectares being expanded to the 28 hectares it is today. 

At first Alex wanted to just make a few barrels of wine as a fun experiment, but after realizing how great the quality of the grapes was from this part of Stellenbosch (and that grape prices in South Africa are relatively low), Alex and Mark decided to gradually increase production each year. This resulted in the first official Keermont-labelled wine being made in 2007, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The consumers who tasted it loved the wine and production kept increasing, especially after 2009 when Neal Martin rated their Syrah bottling with 94 points – at that time quite the astronomical score. And the rest is history.

Blaauwklippen Valley and its Mesoclimate

Keermont is situated in the Blaauwklippen Valley, named after the Blauklip River dividing the Stellenbosch Berg north of the river and the Helderberg south of the river. The relatively high altitudes of 250 to 400 meters combined with cold air descending at night from the mountains gives some welcome cooling effects – producing grapes with both phenolic ripeness and freshness. Furthermore, being situated only 12 kilometers from the False Bay it is quite windy at Keermont, reducing yields and providing further cooling effects. 

Being situated in an amphitheater formed by the narrow valley, Keermont has the luxury of having many different aspects available to work with. The vineyards on the Helderberg tend to be north-facing and thus warmer, while vineyards on the Stellenbosch Berg tend to be west-facing and thus cooler, not receiving a lot of morning sunshine. The soils mainly consist of red, iron-rich weathered sandstone and granite soils, with a layer of Table Mountain sandstone being on top of the deep granitic bedrock. The clayey nature of the soils results in rather fertile soils, which is mitigated by plantings on relatively poor and shallow mountainside soils. Furthermore, the reddish nature of the soils (due to ferrous hematite being present) means that they warm up quickly – promoting both ripeness and the accumulation of tannins in black grape varieties. 

All in all, the cooling effects as mentioned above seem perfectly balanced by the richer, warmer nature of the soils, which combined with the many expositions and aspects yield a beautiful palate of vineyards for Alex to work with. This diversity is also represented through the grape varieties planted, with basically all black and white grape varieties of both Bordeaux and the Northern Rhône represented, along with South Africa’s pride and joy white variety, Chenin Blanc. 

The Single Vineyards

Four single vineyards bottlings are produced by Keermont, being the Riverside Chenin Blanc, the Steepside Syrah, the Topside Syrah, and the Pondokrug Cabernet Franc. Of these, especially the Riverside bottling has an interesting backstory. The vineyard was planted in 1971 and is part of the Old Vine Project (as spearheaded by Rosa Kruger), being one of the few plots not having been replanted when Keermont launched its replanting program in 2005. One downside of this is that the rootstocks and clonal material is not exactly tuned to the site like the more modern plantings are, and that the vineyard is affected by the leafroll virus – causing quite a few vines to die each year (resulting in a yield of below 10 hectoliters per hectare). However, according to Alex the fruit coming from these old vines and the heritage it represents is just too special to replant it, and having tasted this wine, we fully agree.

The Topside and Steepside vineyards have been bottled separately from 2012 onwards – reasoning being that they showed a lot of differences while the vines at that time were of very similar age, the same clones were used, and the winemaking was identical. The Steepside is situated on the Helderberg at 300 meters of altitude, resulting in a north-facing exposition towards the equator. This results into an intense, ripe style, with black fruit and spice. The Topside on the other hand is planted at a slightly higher altitude (350 meters) and is situated on the Stellenbosch Berg – having a relatively cooler, western exposition and missing out on morning sunshine. This results in a more elegant style of wine with more focus on red fruit, acidity, and floral rose notes than the Steepside bottling. 

The Pondokrug (pondok-rug) Cabernet Franc is a thing of its own entirely, situated on the Stellenbosch Berg and producing quite low-yielding, dense, black-fruited, intense Cabernet Franc. A rare bottling, but definitely one to be on the lookout for. A further vineyard of note is the Sweetwater vineyard. This is the coolest Syrah vineyard of Keermont, situated in a rocky valley below the Fleurfontein spring, and currently blended into the estate Syrah and 4 Barrels Rosé bottlings. When asking about this special spot, Alex revealed that Shane de Vries, Alex’s right-hand man, was asked to make a barrel of a potential new bottling during the 2024 vintage – which Shane chose to be the Sweetwater Syrah. For the 2024 vintage it will (unfortunately) only be a few hundred bottles, but with the potential to grow in the future. We certainly hope so, as it would beautifully complement the Steepside and Topside as a third addition to the mix.

Life between Fynbos and Bobbejaans

During the tasting of the wines, we often picked up on a slightly herbal (not in any way unripe), lavender and rosemary kind of scent, not unlike found in the Southern Rhône. Alex explained that he associates this type of aroma with the local aromatic fynbos vegetation, which surrounds many of Keermont’s vineyards. Alex went on to speculate that these aromas might be due to the fynbos actually imparting its aromas onto the grape skins, which especially after fermentation become noticeable in the wines. 

The literature seems to support this, as grape skins are waxy by nature and tend to absorb volatile aromatic compounds in their vicinity. This notion is unfortunately also evidenced in smoke tainted wines from California and Portugal in years with significant wildfires, which often develop a smoky, burnt rubber note after fermentation. Adding to this, it has been proven that grapes grown near eucalyptus trees (Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale) absorb the volatile aromatic compounds, as shed by the eucalyptus trees, via their waxy skins, releasing these aromatic compounds into the wine during fermentation. The exact link between fynbos and the similar aromatic compounds in the wine when grown near fynbos remains a mystery, but it does not seem out of place to think that something similar is happening there.

However, this part of Stellenbosch is not all paradise. Alex notes that pofadders (venomous vipers) make a regular appearance at the Keermont farm, that bobbejaans (baboons) regularly eat the grapes, destroy the trellising and even destroy vines themselves occasionally. However, above all, wildfires are becoming more of an issue in the Cape due to the increasing droughts, with the only solution according to Alex being to simply get away as fast as possible. As an example of this, last year a small part of David Trafford’s (of De Trafford, the neighboring wine farm, also very much quality-oriented and the very first producer of straw wine in the Cape – partly using Riverside Chenin Blanc grapes bought from Keermont’s) vineyards burned down due to the wildfires raging through the very dry fynbos vegetation. 

Keermont’s Wine Selection

Back to the positive side. Keermont has a unique range of wines available, with both focus on high-end Syrah bottlings and high-end bottlings of Bordeaux varieties. This might be explained by Alex having both worked in the Northern Rhône and in Bordeaux, where he witnessed these two philosophies first-hand. Another place where the Northern Rhône and Bordeaux meet is in the choice of bottled wines, with the top-end Syrah bottlings being single vineyard bottlings (much like many of the best Northern Rhône wines being single vineyards bottlings), but with the top-end Bordeaux blend, the Amphitheatre bottling, being much like a Bordelaise ‘grand vin’, with the very best parcels of Keermont being used for this blend. This is rather unique in the world of wine as winemakers usually go for one side or another, either having a single vineyard focus or blending for quality. We tasted both the single vineyard Syrah bottlings and the Amphitheatre, and can only conclude that Alex has mastered both philosophies of winemaking. 

One point that is applicable to all wines is that they all are elegant and fresh, but with quite a bit of weight and density. Alex’ winemaking puts emphasis on gentle and natural treatment of the fruit, using natural ferments, seasoned oak and gravity – all to give the wines elegance and complexity, without for example the overpowering vanilla notes that new oak can bring. This in turn allows the quality and purity of the fruit to speak for itself. On the other hand, all the wines are only very lightly filtered, giving more weight, structure, and texture to the wines. We especially found the Terrasse white blend and Riverside Chenin Blanc to have an almost paradoxical combination of density and elegance, which might be partly explained by all the white wines seeing a very brief period of skin contact and being fermented in barrel. 

Alex further notes that all the grapes are farmed by Keermont themselves in their own proprietary vineyards, ensuring strict quality control procedures to guarantee the best grapes. After all, he notes, the wines are made in the vineyard, very much so in line with the classic German VDP mentality of it being the winemaker’s sole duty not to mess up the fruit that the vineyard has given them that year. The fact that all the vineyards are situated closely around the Keermont farm greatly helps in this regard, allowing a high degree of monitoring, even when Alex takes an informal morning or afternoon stroll around the area. 

Also notable is that all the wines are aged for significant amounts of time, with the current release of the Amphitheatre being the 2017 vintage. The reason for this rather expensive (due to delayed cash flows and storage costs), unique choice is that according to Alex and Mark, the wines are already approachable when young, but even better when aged. As a reference, the current release of many of the Premier Cru Classés of the Médoc is the 2021 vintage. We can only conclude that, as evidenced by our tasting notes below, no shortcuts are taken at Keermont when it comes to guaranteeing the highest possible quality.

2022 Keermont Terrasse

Entry-level white wine of Keermont, composed of roughly 50% Chenin Blanc (for acidity and structure), 20% Chardonnay (for weight), and 15% Sauvignon Blanc (for freshness), with the remainder being Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne (for aromatic complexity). Named after the natural terraces leading up to the two mountains the vines are planted on. Fermented in barrel for structure and mouthfeel, showing nuanced aromatics of yellow apple, ripe pear, jasmine, fresh apricot, honeysuckle, liquorice, bread dough, honeysuckle, clove and smoke. Full bodied and round, but with enough freshness and acidity to balance it all out. Each grape variety seems to add its own touch to the blend, resulting in a very balanced, complex and layered wine. Very impressive for the price. 

We reward this wine with a 91-point DWA score. Drink 2024-27.

2019 Keermont Riverside Chenin Blanc

Made from the original 2.14-hectare vineyard planted in 1971 around the original Keermont farm on sandy, stony red clay loams. Less is made each year as vines keep dying, so taste it while you can. Very low yields. Surprisingly this wine sees no skin contact, but still has incredible structure and texture (almost feeling like a red wine). Fermented using native yeasts in seasoned oak. Serious, powerful nose, a bit shy but opening up with time, suggesting a long live ahead of it. After decanting, it shows intense notes of lemon, bread dough, yellow pear, yellow apple, honeysuckle, wet stone, dried herbs, cumin, white peach, nutmeg, chamomile, smoke, sesame seeds, and salinity. There is a certain cool tremble to this wine, perhaps a function of the old-vines. More structure than many red wines. Very complex and nuanced, showing purity, depth, freshness and balance. Impressive stuff. 

We reward this wine with a 94-point DWA score. Drink 2025-34.

2018 Keermont Estate Syrah

Entry-level Syrah bottling of Keermont. Blend of 40% Steepside, 30% Topside, and 20% Sweetwater fruit, along with a dash of 10% Mourvèdre for structure and further complexity. Medium ruby in colour, with a certain intense, elegant lift to the wine, almost Cote-Rôtie like. Intense notes of black pepper, violet, ripe black cherry, red cherry, blueberry, tobacco, leather, clove, vanilla, liquorice, smoke, bramble, fresh forest fruit, and fresh plum. Very classy, with the fleshy mouthfeel and grippy tannins typical of Syrah. Subtle oak usage. Pristine, warm, but delicate fruit. Balanced. Seriously impressive for the price. 

We reward this wine with a 92-point DWA score. Drink 2024-33.

2015 Keermont Topside Syrah

Single vineyard bottling, with the vines being planted on the westerly-facing Stellenbosch Berg at 350 meters of altitude. Soils mostly consist of sandstone and granite. The altitude combined with the relatively cooler exposition (compared to the northerly-facing Steepside) yield a more elegant style of wine – showcasing a hauntingly beautiful bouquet of ripe red cherry, clove, violet, roses, black pepper, a fynbos-type of herbal scent, potpourri, ripe strawberry, crushed rock, leather, tobacco, smoke, and fresh blueberry. Could smell this wine for days, such a beautiful perfume. The tannins are fine-grained and elegant, almost pixelated, perfectly matching the wine’s nuanced profile. Long finish. High acidity gives further freshness and balances the structure and weight of the wine. Super elegant and fresh profile, with power hidden underneath. Despite the wine pushing eight years in bottle, it is still incredibly fresh, not showing much age at all. Very sophisticated. 

We reward this wine with a 95-point DWA score. Drink 2024-35.

2014 Keermont Steepside Syrah

Single vineyard bottling, with the vines being planted on the steep mid-slopes of the northerly-facing Helderberg, at 300 meters of altitude. More red clay and iron is present here in the soil than the in the Topside vineyard. The lower altitude, northerly exposition, and clay content of the soil yield a distinctively more powerful style of wine than the Topside bottling. The nose and palate are more focused on black fruit, with ripe black cherry, cured meat, tobacco, vanilla, leather, earth, bramble, ripe strawberry, fynbos, smoke, ripe plum, and violet notes coming through. Structured and full-bodied. Powerful, ripe tannins, with a very long finish. Very complete wine. If the Topside is like a Cote-Rôtie, then the Steepside is like a Hermitage. Despite the wine pushing nine (!) years in bottle, the wine still needs a bit of time to open up, improving in the glass and suggesting long further aging potential. Feels even younger than the Topside, despite being older. 

We reward this wine with a 95-point DWA score. Drink 2024-41.

2015 Keermont Amphitheatre

‘Grand Vin’ of Keermont, with the estate’s prime parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and a tiny dash of Syrah being used for this flagship Bordeaux blend. The name Amphitheatre refers to the natural amphitheater, formed by the Stellenbosch Berg and Helderberg, found in the Blaauwklippen Valley containing Keermont’s vineyards. Deep ruby colour. Dense and complex aromatics of menthol, tomato leaf, violet, black cherry, cassis, green paprika, ripe blueberry, plum, tobacco, leather, earth, sandal wood, vanilla, lavender, and rosemary. Less menthol and tomato leaf on the palate than on the nose. Almost like a left-bank Bordeaux but with more ripeness and more modest oak usage (despite being the only Keermont wine to see new oak), emphasizing the elegance and quality of the fruit. Soft and round mouthfeel, with great structure. Slight decline on the mid-palate but finishing very strong and intense. Good acidity, balancing the ripe tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc give structure and spice, with Merlot adding roundness to the blend. Polished and elegant, lovely balance of ripeness and freshness. Beautiful! 

We reward this wine with a 94-point DWA score. Drink 2024-45.

Trends and Future Plans

So, what is next for Alex and Keermont? Alex has joined the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild as of 2022, and has since then produced a red blend called ‘Where Mountains Meet’ – referring to both the Helderberg and Stellenbosch coming together, and the Bordelaise and Rhône varieties used in the blend. This will luckily not be last Cape Winemakers Guild bottling we see from him, with more releases planned when the vintage is right and the quality is high enough.

Furthermore, as of recent years Alex has produced a few wines with bought fruit from Bonnievale under his own private label as a side hustle. Bottlings include a Bonnievale Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Chardonnay, all grown on black shale soils (he is currently on the hunt for limestone soils for his Chardonnay), made in quite elegant and low-intervention ways. His small (~1.000 bottles) production has been slowly increasing, and in the future, we might even be able to find a few bottles here in the Netherlands. Luckily for us, he has no plans of leaving Keermont in the near future – also emphasizing that Mark gives him complete freedom when it comes down to the vineyards and winemaking. However, the long-term dream is to move down to the coast (Alex loves surfing) with his wife in their later years and plant a few vineyards there – preferably on limestone soils (for as Alex says, he will make wine for as long as he can crush grapes).

With regards to Keermont, Alex is currently considering applying for a separate ward for the Blaauwklippen Valley within the wider Stellenbosch district, or he might opt to await the creation of a larger Helderberg ward (which growers on the other side of the Helderberg are currently busy with). Furthermore, possible future experiments for Keermont might include lower Sulphur bottlings and planting bush vines to provide more shade for the fruit. With regards to the hectares planted, Alex and Mark have decided that they would rather focus on quality (even more so) than quantity, and not expanding in the near future – very much in line with the philosophy of not buying in grapes to ensure the highest quality. However, the thing that excites us most is the possible addition of the Sweetwater Syrah as a single vineyard bottling – which is currently being experimented with by Shane de Vries, Alex’ right hand man. 

Alex Starey: A Rising Star Showcasing Promise of South African Wine

Overall, we reflect on an outstanding tasting of some of Stellenbosch’s most refined and well-rounded wines. Given the relatively young age of both Alex and the estate, we are thoroughly impressed by his ability to excel in both vineyard management and winemaking. Above all, Alex embodies the current excellence and future potential of South Africa’s wine industry. When asked which wine he would choose for a traditional South African braai, he enthusiastically responded, “all of them!”—a statement that, in our view, perfectly captures the essence of his wines, philosophy, and personality.

This article is written by our own Martin Bronkhorst. We would like to thank the team of Keermont and Bernier Global Wines for providing the wines tasted, and Alex Starey of Keermont Vineyards for his time.

The wines of Keermont are imported in the Netherlands by Benier Global Wines and available through direct sale or associated retail and hospitality partners. When in South Africa the wines can be bought directly at the estate, where luxurious accommodation is also offered.