Eight Hartenberg wines score 90+ in International Wine Review
Hartenberg one-upped lucky number seven by earning no less than eight 90+ ratings for its wines in The International Wine Review, a highly respected bi-monthly wine report based in the USA.
Stealing the spotlight with the highest score of 95 points, one of just two of the 750 South African wines tasted to achieve this, is Hartenberg’s The Mackenzie 2007. This classically crafted Bordeaux-style blend is named after the family who have been the custodians of this Stellenbosch wine estate since 1986.
"Wines don’t get much better than this," say publisher Mike Potashnik and editor Don Winkler who rank this Hartenberg flagship as “among the very best Bordeaux blends being made in the world today”.
As one of South Africa’s leading and oldest producers of Shiraz, it is no surprise that the Hartenberg Shiraz trio followed suit with the 2006 Gravel Hill scoring 94, 2007 The Stork 92 and the 2007 Estate Shiraz on 90 points.
Other high scoring Hartenberg wines include Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (92), Hartenberg Merlot 2007 (91+), Hartenberg Cabernet Shiraz 2008 (91) and Hartenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (90).
“The Hartenberg single varietals and blends are distinguished by their amazing purity, nuance and balance,” the International Wine Review concludes.
Only South African wines selling for $15 or more were tasted. The reviewers praised the high quality of South African wines as a whole and ascribed this to intelligent vineyard management practices, the careful selection of vineyard sites and grape varieties, and a strong commitment to terroir-based wines.
Equally impressed by the quality of Hartenberg wines is Canadian based wine reviewer, Vic Harradine of www.winecurrent.com, who awarded five stars for the same vintages as the USA reviewers of Hartenberg’s The Mackenzie, The Stork and the Gravel Hill in his Wines of South Africa February review.
For Carl Schultz, Hartenberg’s award winning winemaker of the past 19 years, these accolades are the most finite measure of quality. Carl, who manages to harness the very best from Hartenberg’s varying soil types and micro climates, is fortunate to let his reds age gracefully in the estate’s impressive underground maturation cellar for a minimum of four years, allowing them to reach their full potential prior to release.
Hartenberg Estate, situated on the Bottelary Road off the R304 to Stellenbosch, is open 6 days a week from May till November and 7 days a week from December to April for tastings, picnic lunches and wetland walks. Cellar tours are by appointment only. Contact Tel: (+27)21-8652541, Email: info@hartenbergestate.com or visit www.hartenbergestate.com.
Issued by: GC Communications
Contact person: Johlene Verwey
Tel: (+27)21 462 0520
Email: johlene@gc-com.co.za
Tel: (+27)21 462 0520
Email: johlene@gc-com.co.za
