Alto Estate MPHS, Stellenbosch

Description

Alto Estate MPHS is the estate’s flagship red wine. It is a tribute to the estate’s previous winemakers Manie Malan, Oom Piet du Toit, Hempies du Toit and Schalk van der Westhuizen whose initials make up the name. MPHS is only made in exceptional vintages.

Alto Estate is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch district and dates back to 1693 when it was part of a much larger farm called Groenrivier (Green River), granted to a free burgher by Governor Simon van der Stel. In 1919 the owner of the farm, Hennie Malan, sold off half the land to his brother-in-law and set about planting vines on his remaining portion, focusing exclusively on red varieties. He named the smaller farm Alto, a reference to its altitude (some slopes rise as high as 500m above sea level) and his striving for excellence. Today Alto Estate has 93 hectares under vines. The trellised vineyards cling to the high granite slopes that are ideal for the cultivation of red wine varieties.

Not many wine estates can boast only five winemakers in a century. And even fewer can claim two father and son combinations over the same period. Bertho Van Der Westhuizen took over the reins from his father in the vineyard and cellar in 2015.

Alto Estate MPHS is a blend, a blend of noble cultivars, not set in stone which changes from vintage to vintage. The 2011 is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 24 months in new 300 Litre French oak barrels.

A limited bottling of 2920 bottles.