Harternberg wine tasting

Recently I went on a wine tasting tour in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek in South Africa. Due to time constraint we were only be able to visit three vineyards. Together with the wines we ordered in the restaurants we had tried a total of 30 to 40 wines. One interesting phenomenon I observed was the extremely rare use of decanters there. It was almost certainly due to the forward characteristic of SA wine in general.

It was my first visit of this vineyard, and was an enjoyable experience. Some of their wines were quite impressive, showing a complexity which excelled above the average SA wines.

1. The Mackenzie Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2004

With a nose of chocolate cake and black berries with a fresh palate, full body and medial length, the wine demonstrated complexity and finesse comparable with the Bordeaux wines. Quite enjoyable. Score 82

2. Hartenberg Wine Estate Pinotage 2004

This purple red wine has a nose of cherry and vanilla, with a medium body and meaty aftertaste. It showed some evolement in the glass. Score 80

3. Hartenberg Wine Estate Shiraz 2004

Excellent nose of sweet red currant and vanilla. Medium to fully body, but it showed no evolvement in the glass. Score 82

4. Hartenberg Wine Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The nose of this dark purple wine showed blackcurrant, cherry, herbs, vanilla, and oak. The wine was more diluted than the pinotage, with a light to medium body. Noticeable tannin and a medium finish. Score 80

5. Hartenberg Wine Estate Stork Shiraz 2004

The best wine we had tried from this estate. Loads of jammy black fruits, liquorice, cinnamons. The palate was a little bit more on the acidic side but was quite balanced by the fruits. It was dark red in colour, with a medium to full body, medium length and black currant on the palate. The wine was smooth yet powerful. In the glass it showed some evolvement with vanilla and chocolate flavours coming out after a while. Score 85

Frederick