Wine of the Week

Article By: Mike Bampfield-Duggan, Wine Concepts

My first visit to Hartenberg Estate was in the mid eighties when Gilbeys were the owners. They had purchased the farm from the Finlayson family and the delightful Eleanor Finlayson continued to live in the original manor house and manage the tasting room until her death.

The wines at this time were made by the young and talented Danie Truter whose first vintages produced under the name of Hartenberg in 1985 (previously the wines were bottled under the Montagne label) received favourable criticism, especially for the reds.

Known as “the unhurried wines of Hartenberg” the evidence of care and attention to their wines was evident.

In 1987 the late Ken Mackenzie purchased the farm and today his daughters continue a programme of investment in the farm, focusing on three key areas: the replanting to specific sites of some 55 hectares of premium varietals, the development of production facilities, and the upliftment of knowledge and skills for labour and management.

Cellar master and winemaker for the past 17 years, Carl Schultz, has helped to position Hartenberg on the international market with his world-class, award-winning wines which they now export to 30 different countries. The local market, however, is not forgotten and you will find Hartenburg’s range of wines on some of South Africas premier wine lists as well as fine wine stores.

Predominantly a red wine producer, their Shiraz has always been my preferred red wine from this estate. The first Shiraz from here stemmed from the 1974 vintage and today the estate continues to produce this high-end quality wine.

“In hindsight it was with great vision that the decision was made in the late 1960’s to undertake the planting of Shiraz at Hartenberg in an era dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Carl, who is fortunate to have what are arguably the Cape’s best Shiraz vineyards at his disposal.

The ability for a wine to age gracefully is a common thread that runs through all 36 vintages produced to date at Hartenberg with many of the older wines still drinking well after 20 and 30 years. For Carl this is the most finite measure of quality.

Over the years, the various custodians of Shiraz at Hartenberg have found that the wine needs time to evolve. As a result, Hartenberg has adopted the policy of only releasing their Shiraz after four years from vintage.

Today, Hartenberg offers three outstanding examples of Shiraz, The Gravel Hill, The Stork Shiraz and the Estate Shiraz all expressing their own individuality and unique character. This differentiation in style is the culmination of the same team working the vineyards at Hartenberg for over 15 years, getting to know the subtle differences in character and expression of the varied terroir that makes up the estate.

The eldest member of the trio, the original Estate Shiraz, is made from the balance of the Shiraz vineyards on the estate. The 2006 vintage was recently released and I included a few bottles for my time away to the coast last week.

This lovely wine was matured in French oak barrels (50% new, 50% second-fill) for two years prior to bottling and remained for a further two years in Hartenberg’s underground maturation cellar.

The colour is an impressive dark velvet red with aromas of savoury spice and plums. The palate is rich, smooth and almost voluptuous with gorgeous cranberry, ripe plum fruit which gracefully tails off with a hint of vanilla.

We enjoyed the wine with spicy marinated lamb kebabs on the barbecue, but were lucky that we had a little left to enjoy with the cheeses afterwards!

If you have the patience and the will power to keep a few bottles in your cellar then do so as this wine has the potential to go on for many years.