Journey's End is a Gabb family cellar cradled in the foothills of the Hottentot Mountains, overlinking stunning False Bay. Has the pale straw colour of youth, with a tinge of green. A complex wine, thereʼs melon and grapefruit on a bed of apple and Bosche pear, with a seam of freshness giving vitality and extending the flavours. Reflecting the vintage, this shows perfectly ripe fruit, full flavoured and round. Full of character and delicious.

Sustainable and ethical philosophies guide everything at Journey's End.

Founded in 1996 when the Gabb family took over the estate, Journey’s End is situated right in the heart of Stellenbosch - and, with one of the cape's most exciting terroirs, has quickly become one of the region's top wineries.

In the cellars, winemaker Leon Esterhuizen handles the grapes as little as possible, using pre-fermentation soaks to maximise fruit characters. His sensitive use of oak ensures that the fruit always shines through in the glass.

The family's philosophy is one of minimal intervention, both in the vineyards and the cellar. 10ha of land on the estate has been set aside for a re-wilding project, and similar respect for the environment can be seen across the whole winery. Journey's End are committed to using only natural pesticides, where possible forgoing these in favour of cover crops to distract pests away from vines and act as a natural fertiliser. Wildlife is abundant throughout the vineyards and farm and works to create a perfect ecosystem for winegrowing; from beehives that encourage pollination, to Egyptian runner ducks that eat insects, to Eagle owls that catch rodents.

But Journey's End don't stop there - they were the second winery in the whole of South Africa to become entirely solar powered. Alongside this, they have a deep-running focus on community; one of our Fairtrade producers, they undertake efforts from running soup kitchens and pensioners' lunches, to building new school halls.

The Name "Weather Station" is derived from the first two clones of Sauvignon Blanc that were planted in Sout Africa in the mid 17th century. These closes were nicknamed 'The Weather Station' as the original plantings were made beside an old weather station This station proved invaluable in enabling the farms to spot oncoming changes in the weather and thus pick their fruit in its optimum condition. 

Grapes were handpicked early in the morning to retain the delicate fruit flavours. Grapes come from an 8 ha block with 4 different clones and separate irrigation systems. This block is the highest block on the farm at 200 m above sea level. Bunches are hand sorted, destemmed and crushed as gently as possible. After crushing, the grapes undergo four hours of skin contact inside of the press to enhance flavour extraction. The juice is settled until clear before racked and cold fermented (10 ‒ 14 ̊C) for almost 1 month in stainless steel tanks to enhance the typical varietal characters. After fermentation, the wine is left on the lees for 4 months with regular battonage before being racked, fined and stabilized.

The Destination will reward patient cellaring for up to 10 years post bottling.