closilo

Region | BREEDE RIVER VALLEY • District | ROBERTSON • Ward | HOOPSRIViER 

CLOSILO is the name given to the picturesque Silo that was built in 1948 on Mont Blois, in the De Hoop Valley of Robertson, South Africa. Derived from the French term “Clos” meaning enclosed vineyard, but here the Silo is enclosed by a red clay wall, hand-built from fertile soils.

The South-Easterly from Aghulhas ensures that vineyards are cooled down each afternoon especially during the summer months. The 3 farms have quite diverse soils and daily temperatures.

Firstly, Mont Blois is situated in the Hoopsrivier Ward. They are the only winery in the Hoopsrivier area. The Hoopsrivier is an intermittent river that only flows after heavy South-Easterly rains late autumn and spring. Day and night temperatures in the De Hoop Valley are three degrees cooler than the town center which is about six kilometers away. This is due to the proximity of the Langeberg Mountains and the overshadowing it creates. On the river banks there are mainly deep alluvial soils with a large fraction of river pebbles. On the foot slopes, where the majority of vineyards are planted the soils heavy-textured reddish-brown soils.

Secondly, La Fontaine is also in the Hoopsrivier ward but about three km closer to the town center. Vineyards are located on the plains rather than foot slopes. This area is slightly warmer and is where the Pinotage and Cabernet vineyards are located. The reds ripen perfectly in the deep red Karoo soils with a high percentage of clay in the sub-layers.

Thirdly, Sunshine farm is typical Robertson soils and lies on the banks of the Breede River, about 25 km away from Mont Blois. Deep red Karoo soils with abundant limestone patches dominates on this farm. It’s the limestone that makes these soils so special. They ensure that natural acidity is retained in the grapes. This is a very low-rainfall area and irrigation is essential. Excellent quality water is obtained from the Brandvlei Dam as well as the Breede River. The soils on the banks of the Breede River are alluvial soils. The climate here is more continental with warm temperatures during the day and cold temperatures at night.