Glenelly Estate is located on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch. Originally granted to a French Huguenot by Cape governor Simon van der Stel in the late seventeenth century, It was purchased in 1865 by a British family, who ran the estate as a fruit farm for 138 years. In 2003, a new chapter in the history of Glenelly began, when the property was acquired by May-Eliane de Lencquesaing.\n\nFor over 30 years, Mme de Lencquesaing was the owner of the fabled Bordeaux Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, and she is recognized worldwide as a tireless ambassador of Bordeaux. Struck by the tremendous potential of South Africa’s terroir and the beauty of the country and its people, she has now turned her energy and attention to the Cape.\n\nAfter conducting exhaustive studies of Glenelly’s terroir, Mme de Lencquesaing planted the 316 acre property to 148 acres of red varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) and 15 acres of Chardonnay. Glenelly’s soils are primarily decomposed granite with a deep clay base. While most Stellenbosch vineyards are planted on western facing slopes, Glenelly is blessed with a range of aspects and sun exposures, including a high percentage of cooler eastern-facing slopes. Due to the estate’s location, nestled between two hills, the vineyards benefit from gentle breezes throughout the day. These influences combine to create a slightly cooler microclimate, allowing for slower ripening of the grapes and resulting in wines of great structure, elegance and finesse.\n\nWinemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain joined Glenelly in 2007 — the year the first estate fruit came on line — after five years at neighboring Rustenberg Estate. Luke has also worked abroad at such prestigious wineries as Screaming Eagle and Chateau Angelus. Maverick winemaker Adi Badenhorst, also formerly of Rustenberg, serves as a consultant. In 2009, construction was completed on Glenelly’s winery building, a state-of-the-art facility anchored in a hillside and operating completely on gravity flow principles. The modern, four level structure – developed with extreme sensitivity to the environment – was hailed by Platter’s South African Wine Guide as a “victory for environmentalism.”
