Hartenberg
Hartenberg, genesteld in een vallei op de goed doorlatende, noordoostelijke hellingen van de Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch, geniet van een mediterraan klimaat met warme, droge zomers en koude, natte winters. De wijngaarden liggen op het noorden, westen en oosten, met druivensoorten die profiteren van de ochtend- of middagzon. Er is een hoogteverschil van zo'n 250 meter tussen de noordelijke en zuidelijke wijngaarden.
De familie Mackenzie, die eigenaar zijn van het landgoed sinds 1986, streeft er voortdurend naar om hun filosofie “Hartenberg in een betere staat achter te laten dan toen we begonnen” veilig te stellen. Hartenberg (voornamelijk bekend voor hun Shiraz en Chardonnay) probeert rijke en toch elegante wijnen te produceren die allemaal het vermogen hebben om te rijpen en de helderheid van fruit te behouden - wijnen die tijdloos, klassiek en fris zijn. Dit wordt bereikt door tientallen jaren diepgaande kennis van terroir te combineren met constante innovatie en aandacht voor detail. De holistische benadering van Hartenberg omvat alle aspecten van de boerderij, inclusief iedereen die hier woont en werkt.
De keldermeester, Carl Schultz (lid van de Cape Winemakers Guild) houdt toezicht op alle aspecten van het wijnmaken en de duurzaamheid binnen Hartenberg. Hij is al bij Hartenberg betrokken sinds 1993. Carl is er vast van overtuigd dat "wijn niet van verandering houdt" en Hartenbergs geschiedenis van het behouden van personeel zorgt ervoor dat de kennis van het team elk jaar groeit, en dit wordt weerspiegeld in de toenemende kwaliteit van de wijnen.
Hartenberg heeft zoals veel klassieke wijnhuizen uit Stellenbosch, een aantal verschillende ‘ranges’. Wij importeren er echter maar uit twee van deze ranges. De gelimiteerde Premium-range en de Estate-range.
Wijn informatie
The Eleanor (Chardonnay)
The Eleanor Chardonnay honors the matriarch of the Finlayson family who, with her husband Maurice, owned Hartenberg Estate (then "Montagne") from 1948 to 1977. Strong and resolute in character, yet always sophisticated and poised, who better personifies our super-premium Chardonnay? The wine spent 12 months in 228L French oak barriques, 30% new, 40% second fill, balance on third fill.
Tasting notes: An expressive bouquet with lime zest and stone fruit at its core. Elegantly integrated oak shows notes of butterscotch opening up to a roasted nut aroma and a clean, chalky minerality.
An initial bright acidity on the palate balances the rich and creamy texture of the wine with the peach and lime note following through to a lingering, toasty finish. The wine can mature easily up to 15 years from its vintage.
The Megan
The Megan (a Rhone style inspired blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre) is a tribute to Megan Mackenzie, wife of Ken “Stork” Mackenzie whose family still owns Hartenberg Estate. Megan met Ken whilst still at school and, once time passed, they got married and so started a wonderful love story.
Initially assisting in the family business, but also a celebrated harpist, Megan sowed the early seeds for the decision to later buy Hartenberg, whilst on their honeymoon vacationing in the Cape many years ago. Megan sadly passed away as a relatively young lady and Ken never remarried till his passing in 2003. The wine spent 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels. Tasting notes: Perfumed spice of cinnamon and aniseed on the nose with a vibrant, floral tone.
The palate is a rich and savory in character with plush cherry notes and sweet spice. Well- integrated, fine-grained tannins allow for a lingering finish.
The Mackenzie
A Bordeaux style inspired blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc). This wine is made in honor of the Mackenzie family that headed the development of the new era at the Estate.
Their vision remains simple: To do whatever it takes to produce wines of outstanding quality by anybody's standards. The wine spent 20 months in 65% new French oak, balance in second fill.
Tasting notes: Initially red fruit aromatics, then a blend of spicy, cedary oak, classic cigar box and wood vanilla aromas lift from the glass. The palate entry is rich and rounded, but settles to an elegant mid- palate showing a brightness of fruit and finishes with fine-grained tannins. Decanting 2-3 hours prior to service is recommended should the wine be consumed.
The Stork (Shiraz)
The Stork Shiraz honors the late Ken Mackenzie, pilot, businessman, farmer and benefactor. Stork was Ken’s Second World War nickname (as he was tall with long thin legs and a Spitfire pilot) and Shiraz was his preferred red wine. This limited volume wine represents a vineyard selection of Shiraz from a specific site that is planted solely on clay–rich "terra rossa" type soils.
The vineyard ripens a full month later than our Gravel Hill Shiraz site. The wine spent 20 months in 70% new French oak barrels, 20% second fill, balance on third fill. Tasting notes: The Stork shows a vivid and expressive bouquet of ripe, dark berries, perfumed spice and peppercorns.
The palate is elegant and smokey in tone with flavours of ripe mulberries and spice. Fine, dry tannins with an intense, lingering finish. The wine can easily mature up to 25 years from its vintage.
Gravel Hill (Syrah)
Since Carl's first vintage at Hartenberg in 1993 he realized the distinct difference in the character and quality of a parcel of Syrah vineyard at the lower end of the Estate with extraordinary characteristics.
I’s a concentrated res (ferrous) gravel stone soil, known as koffie-klip. The wine further spent 18 months in 50% new French Oak barrels, 50% in 2nd fill. All these elements make for a unique red wine, shouting sense of place, true to terroir.
Tasting notes: The Hartenberg flagship wine and long – standing SA Syrah classic. On the bouquet umami, Karoo shrub, wood spice, violets and perfumed notes. The palate shows beautiful elegance with layers of black and red fruits. The wine ends with a vein of fine-grained tannins, so typical of this site.
Estate Chardonnay
Grapes were handpicked in the early morning of each of the 4 days of picking so as to capture the subtle primary flavors that the variety offers.
Every batch from each of the morning picks as well as those of the individual parcels were kept separate in the cellar so as to aid quality selection when it came to assembling the final blend. Fermented and matured for 12 months in French Oak (225 l) 15% new, 33% in second fill, balance in third fill barrels.
On the bouquet the wine shows alluring aromas of white pear, Elder flower and subtle hints of toasted vanilla. The palate is fresh yet creamy with the ripe pear and citrus acidity following through. Well-integrated oak allows for a toasty and lingering finish.
Estate Riesling
Since the first release in 1984, our Rieslings have achieved something of a local cult status. Driven by a market in search of a “dry” or “trocken” style wine, the Estate Riesling seeks to highlight the purity and complexity of fruit that makes Riesling so individual. Hand-picked at daybreak to ensure only the most heavenly flavors, about 15% of grapes showed the presence of Botrytis.
After crushing and de-stemming, the fruit underwent six hours of skin contact at 12 degrees Celsius. After pressing, the juices were fermented using a yeast personally selected by our winemaker in Austria, then stabilized, filtered and bottled.
Tasting notes: Intense and inviting aromas of stone-fruit and perfumed flowers on the bouquet. Flint a lanolin balanced by notes of apricot. On the palate the wine expresses this same balance of stone-fruit and fresh acidity with a nutty, lingering finish.
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
All hand-picked grapes. The wine stays 20 months in French oak barrels, of which 50% new. A textbook Cabernet Sauvignon – all lead pencil, wood spice, cigar box, cassis, plums and violets on the bouquet. Cedary, sandalwood flavors mingle in an opulent, plush palate.
Palate feel is complex and multi-layered ending with fine grainy tannins. Made to keep.
Estate Noble Late Harvest Riesling
Only done in years when the conditions are ripe for Botrytis. This wine shows a bouquet of intense honey with crisp lemon and aromatic tropical fruit. Medium-bodied on the palate with distinctive candied orange peel and caramelized citrus.
The vibrant acidity allows for a rich yet elegant mouth feel. Oodles of flavor – a honeyed, barley sugar and yellow tropical fruit mélange of character. The wine finishes with a linear minerality and fresh zippy acidity.