Topiary Wine Estate

The Story of Topiary Wine Estate

The Wine Estate in Franschhoek was originally a fruit farm called La Tramontane until 2005, when previous owner built a cellar and a tasting room and launched Topiary. In August 2014, acclaimed Burgundy producer Philippe Colin (also one of the guardians of the famous Colin-Deléger vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet) became enchanted with the 64­-hectare farm, and purchased the estate.
The landscape surrounding this boutique winery is largely dominated by the dramatic Klein Drakenstein mountains. The vines of Topiary are located in the sloping lower mountain slope at the Wemmershoek Mountain’s foothills, among the fynbos and fauna of Franschhoek Wetlands, bordered on the North and South by low sandstone ridges.

The estate greatly benefits from the surrounding mountain ranges (Hottentots Holland and Simonsberg) which form a wind-generating funnel that cools the vineyards, and results in even ripening and a pronounced elegance in the wines.

An Enchanted Winemaker of Topiary

After studying viticulture at the known viticultural high school of Beaune, Philippe took his place in the family business in 1988. After a few years, his brother Bruno Colin joined the family team. The family worked together for 16 years on an area of 18 hectares.
During this time, Philippe played with the thought of beginning his own wine farm. When his father decided to retire in 2004, the two brothers decided to focus on their separate vineyards in order to respect their different approaches to winemaking.
This led to the launch of Domaine Philippe Colin in 2004 by an ambitious winemaker who wanted to apply what he learnt from his father and grandfather, Georges Deleger. Today, Domaine Philippe Colin’s vineyards are located mainly in Chassagne-Montrachet area but also Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin.