Niel Joubert Wines is mostly a family-run business, but it also employs a small number of talented and devoted people. Erni Leicht is among them; he has been the winemaker and cellarmaster here since October 2000 and has in-depth knowledge of the vines and their potential. He is free to experiment, which has historically led to Reserve wines and undoubtedly will continue to do so in the future.

Under Erni’s direction, the cellar has recently undergone major modernization with as much of a natural flow as possible to prevent over-handling of the wines. The goal of the minimal intervention approach is to respect each vineyard and its fruit.

Erni makes day-to-day operational choices while discussing crucial strategic matters with Daan and Niel. He employs a hands-on approach in the cellar to produce wines that realise their full potential while remaining delicious.