In 1993, Paul Boutinot embarked on a quest to find a site that would be the cradle of truly distinguished wines, ones that would radiate a unique sense of origin. Boutinot was well aware of the esteemed regions like Cote d’Or, Chablis, Paulliac, and Barolo, known for their balanced grapes, but they were either inaccessible or unaffordable. Hence, he sought to discover a new classic. His search, spanning over a decade, led him to the south-facing slopes of Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay in Cape Town. As Boutinot climbed the steep ravine and beheld the vast potential of the hidden amphitheatre-like space, he intuitively knew he had found his ‘it’. Thus, Waterkloof was conceived, marking the inception of years of diligent work.

Nestled between the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg mountains, Schapenberg, or ‘Sheep Mountain’ in Afrikaans, sits 300 metres above sea level, merely four kilometers from the False Bay coast. Once a grazing hill for sheep and a lookout post for visiting ships of former Cape Colony Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel, it has now transitioned into a burgeoning vineyard area. Known for being the coolest in the Stellenbosch wine-growing region, this place has increasingly been recognized for its vineyards.

Although grapes had been grown on Waterkloof since the early 1970s, the advent of fine wine production came when Boutinot took over the property in 2003. With the first Waterkloof vintage being bottled from the 2005 harvest, he was soon joined by Cellarmaster Werner Engelbrecht and Farm Manager Christiaan Loots. Relying on old-world wisdom and extensive soil surveys, they determined the best varieties, rootstocks, and trellis systems to use, completing a major planting and replanting exercise by 2008. Today, the vineyard spans 53 hectares of the 100-hectare farm. The remaining half was intentionally preserved to safeguard the rare natural vegetation, fauna, and flora (fynbos) found on the property. This commitment earned Waterkloof Champion Status from the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity & Wine Initiative in 2008.