The name Glenelly might suggest some Scottish influence in the Stellenbosch wine estate but, to the surprise of many, the guiding hand is in fact distinctively French.
The French part is both historic and contemporary, as the farm dates back to 1682 when Cape governor Simon van der Stel ceded the land in what is now known as Ida’s Valley in Stellenbosch, to French Huguenot immigrant Francois Villion.
The French influence returned in 2003, when May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, a member of a noble French winemaking family, decided at the age of 78 to embark on a new chapter in South African winemaking and bought the rundown fruit farm, starting the Glenelly story anew.
The “Vintners since 1783” stamp on the label of Glenelly wines signifies the almost 250-year involvement of Madame May’s family in the wine industry, since the appointment of her ancestor, Elie Miailhe, as “royal wine broker” to the French court in 1783.
When Madame, who celebrated her 101st birthday at Glenelly last month, embarked on her South African adventure, she already had a stellar career in wine behind her, running the family’s Château Pichon Lalande.
There she became a global ambassador for Bordeaux wines, earning honours from the French government and international wine industry bodies.
From her visit to Stellenbosch, she says, she “knew that this was where I wanted to fulfil my dream of starting a new adventure outside of France”.
“I believe in SA’s soil, microclimate and potential for quality wines, and I wanted to continue the French heritage of winemaking in South Africa that goes back more than three centuries.”
While she brought her own French winemaking pedigree to Glenelly, Madame’s vision was not to replicate French wine in SA, but to produce distinctively South African wines at a world-class level, the guiding mantra always being “power, elegance, and balance”.
The focus is on classic French varietals — chardonnay the only white wine, along with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and syrah.
The flagship, the stately Bordeaux-style Lady May pays tribute to the founder, with the 2020 vintage released in her 100th year with a special label “celebrating a century of life”.
Assistant winemaker Léhandri Bothma, in the Bay a few weeks ago to showcase the winery’s latest releases, says “everything we do is geared towards making the Lady May, thus all of our wines are grown and made with that intent, even if they do not make into the final blend”.
Meaning, expect superior quality at every level.
One indicator is that all the wines are rated 4* and above in Platter’s, with the Estate Reserve Red 2018 and Lady May 2020 earning 5* (both are the current vintages, reflecting Glenelly’s approach of allowing their wines to mature in their cellar for release at optimal drinking quality rather than rushing to market for more immediate returns).
The Glenelly Glass Collection Unoaked Chardonnay 2024 (R170 ex-cellar) and Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2023 (R385) make for an interesting comparison.
The unwooded one is all about freshness, with clean fruit purity of citrus, pineapple and nectarine, with some time in stainless steel tanks on the yeasty lees adding weight and texture, a mineral finish — the overall impression vibrant and energetic.
Glenelly cellarmaster Dirk van Zyl believes oak influence in wine must be like the frame on a painting — you don’t want the frame so spectacular that you don’t notice the artwork itself.
Thus the estate reserve chardonnay’s time natural fermenting and maturing for 6-10 months is done in large French oak barrels that are only lightly-toasted, to provide a neutral “frame”.
The result is an intriguing balance of brightness and complexity; quince, lime, citrus peel, with light butterscotch caramel, white flower fragrance, the energy and vibrance tempered with lush texture.
The pink Le Rosé de May 2025, made with no added sulphur, is made especially for Madame’s love of the complex, dry rosés of Provence.
This is no “pool wine”, more complexity than you would expect of rosé, but still fresh with strawberries and cream and the spiced fruit of syrah.
The Glass Collection reds are a great picture of what Glenelly is all about — combining Old World classic style with the distinctiveness of what those French grapes do in South African soil, and great value at under R200.
The 2022 Syrah all juicy fruit, dry and spicy, tannins showing up in texture rather than dominating; while the Merlot 2021 is unusually more powerful than you might expect, structured and mouth-filling with deep red fruitiness and chocolate tones, underpinned by spice and the minerality of graphite.
The Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is very typically Stellenbosch, youthful freshness and leafiness along with intense blackcurrants and sharp pencil shavings; while the Cab Franc 2021 is a personal favourite for its deep inky purple colour, depth of flavour and complexity blending intense dark fruit with distinct woody herbal and fynbos notes, a touch of cardamom.
Glenelly Estate Reserve 2018 brings syrah into the blend of cabernet sauvignon, cab franc, merlot and petit verdot, for a wine that’s richly aromatic, juicy with generous fruit layered with warm spices subtle wood influence, all lifted by a clean line of mineral acidity.
It’s a great illustration of the Glenelly ethos of power, elegance and balance — which you will find even more so in the grand Bordeaux-style Lady May 2020, drinking beautifully now with intensity, complexity in its fruit and spice, polished tannins, long finish, all woven together into an integrated whole, and built to improve gracefully with time.
A rare treat to honour a remarkable French lady.
Preston’s currently have Glenelly on special at R129/R149 for the Glass Collection, R299 for the Reserve wines and Lady May R899 (usually over R1 000).
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