Hartenberg, Riesling 2018 Stellenbosch

Riesling 100%

The vineyards are located on the north-eastern slopes of the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch, with good exposure to the sun and free draining soils. The climate is Mediterranean.

Grapes were hand picked at day break, to ensure the grapes retain fresh fruit flavours. About 15% of the crop showed signs of Botrytis. The bunches were destemmed and the grapes crushed then held at 12⁰ C for 6 hours of skin contact. After pressing, the juice was fermented with selected Austrian yeasts.

Hartenberg's winemaking history dates back to 1692 when 2 settlers, Cunraad Boin and Christoffel Esterhuizzen were granted rights to farm 20 hectares of land. They cleared the vegetation and planted 2,000 vines on the site. It has been owned by the Mackenzie family since 1986. Their philosophy is to "leave Hartenberg in a better condition than when we started." 65 hectares of the estate is wetland, which has been carefully managed, removing non native species of tree and plant and supporting the native bullrushes. The area now supports a diverse population of birds, reptiles and animals.

Hartenberg has never been connected to a mains water supply. There are natural springs on the site and all waste water is collected, filtered and then processed by passing through stone and gravel beds before joining the wetlands and then collecting in the estate reservoir where it is used to irrigate vineyards and gardens.