The main building of the Leeu Estates
Just an hour's drive from Cape Town, following the Wine Route to the East and nestled in a narrow valley surrounded by rugged mountains, is the sophisticated town of Franschhoek. A parallel universe in which the vineyards and the imposing farms, with their Cape Dutch-style gabled roofs, wake up enveloped in a soft drizzle... Until the sun rises and scorches everything: it is the light that transforms it all.
The first white settlers to arrive here in the late 17th century were refugee French Huguenots, which explains the names of most of the local restaurants and wine farms: La Provence, Cabriere, Champagne. Among the latter, **the newest and most ambitious is Leeu Estates, owned by Analjit Singh (62 years old), one of the richest men in India **, according to the Forbes list. He visited South Africa six years ago on the excuse of the World Cup, and liked what he saw so much that he decided to buy a house in Franschhoek in which to escape the sweltering heat of New Delhi.
A year after acquiring the farm, known until then as Klein Dassenberg, the tycoon had already taken over the adjoining properties. He had started the machinery to convert what should have been his home into a wine estate with a hotel..
Angus Taylor Sculpture
But Singh didn't stop there: he bought a dilapidated guesthouse and transformed it into the charming Leeu House, by far the most comfortable and stylish place to stay in the center of town . Until then, this title had been held by the boutique hotel Le Quartier Français , owned by the inimitable entrepreneur Susan Huxter, one of the most influential people in Franschhoek to date.
It soon became known that Huxter had sold Le Quartier to Singh and that, in addition, the Indian billionaire had allied himself with the Cape Brewing Company. to create Tuk Tuk, a brewery also located downtown . The Marigold Indian restaurant will open its doors across the street at the end of the year. Enough investments for a town of small dimensions.
the spa pool
Leeu Estates occupies a prime location in the valley: a 20-minute walk from town, surrounded by the Franschhoek River and guarded by the rugged Dassenberg Mountains. The new main building was built in the local Dutch style , just with little quirks added. Singh, a follower of the Sikh religion, made sure that construction continued the vastu shastra principles of layout and design , such as, for example, that all the doors faced East and that the kitchen was located in the Southeast.
this discreet multiculturalism continues in interior decoration , designed by Beverley Boswell , a South African designer based in London. In counterpoint to a restricted palette of greys, creams and lavenders, stand out the dark French oak floors and the very expensive pieces commissioned to measure , like leather-wrapped maple console tables by Chelsea's Studio Indigo and hand-woven rugs from Tibet.
Interior of a room at Leeu Estates
An ideal backdrop for presenting Analjit Singh's superb collection of contemporary South African art , which includes bronze feline figures by Dylan Lewis, huge portraits by Lionel Smit, and landscapes by Vusi Khumalo. Outside, a gigantic bronze carving of Artemis by artist Deborah Bell appears to run across the front lawn, while a powerful nude by Angus Taylor called Reflective Resonance rests illuminated. in the Bokkie Garden, a space infested with roses and proteas and home to a herd of small bug-eyed antelope.
Adjacent to the main building is the elegant spa, built in wood and stone, all glass and with a pool with infinity views. It bears the signature of the Spanish architect Tomeu Esteva, who was also in charge of designing the Vana Wellness Retreat & Spa Resort, in India, owned by Veer, Singh's son. There is nothing remotely like this spa in the entire area.
Painting by Lionel Smith
Well-being extends to the kitchen, where Chef Oliver Cattermole deploys farm-fresh ingredients with prodigious creativity. Everything is grown in the spice garden and on the estate's extensive grounds or sourced from local growers: beef from Stellenbosch, organic chicken from Elgin and fish from Muizenberg . Smoked barracuda croquettes, madras curried salmon or delicate rice paper rolls are some of the lunch tapas; main dinners include lamb with semolina wheat and merguez sausages, butter poached prawns with smoked leeks, wild garlic and parsley sauce, and a homemade slow-roasted apple pudding that brings tears to the eyes.
So far the estate does not produce its own wine, but Singh is a partner in the small but successful Mullineux & Leeu Family group, run by the young couple Chris and Andrea Mullineux. Together they produce award-winning Syrah and Chenin Blanc from dryland grapes and other more coastal varieties grown in Swartland. , about 80 kilometers north of Cape Town. The best wines go to tastings at Leeu Estates, currently South Africa's most noteworthy hotel.
However, the final point of this news is not yet written: even before the farm officially opened its doors, Singh had already acquired Linthwaite House, on Lake Windermere, England . It is evident that he has plans to internationalize his new hotel empire as well. A feat that Analjit Singh will achieve thanks to his energy and his visionary mind.
The kitchen is run by chef Oliver Cattermole
FIVE ESSENTIAL DATA:
To the rich harvest: forget about the big five. At these grand estates in the Cape Winelands, you'll find art, wine, and top chefs.
Delaire Graff Estate: this impressive winery just outside Stellenbosch It has a famous restaurant and a spa. It is the whim of the jeweler Laurence Graff – whose fortune is valued at 5,000 million dollars – and the ill-fated designer David Collins. Graff, with an enviable collection of South African art, also has Chinese Gild by Kazakh artist Vladimir Tretchikoff, who lived and died in Cape Town.
Paradise is in South Africa
** Babylonstoren :** Billionaire Koos Bekker, founder of the South African pay TV channel M-Net, he is the driving force behind this dream farm near Franschhoek. Famous for its lush orchards, its stylish rooms also stand out, designed by Karen Roos, former director of the South African edition of Elle Decoration magazine and wife of the tycoon.
The Motte : the late South African billionaire Anton Rupert, who amassed his fortune from the tobacco business, he bought this small but magnificent property almost 50 years ago. It is now in the hands of his daughter Hannali, an opera singer, whose brother Johann is chairman of the luxury goods company Richemont (including Cartiery Dunhill). He is also the owner of the nearby L'Ormarins winery and of several native buffalo heads, for which he spent more than two million euros per copy.
Great Provence : This wonderful classic, located next to Leeu Estates, belongs to investor Alex van Heeren and is part of the Huka Retreats portfolio , which includes spectacular properties like Huka Lodge in New Zealand and Dolphin Island in Fiji .
A dream farm