Hartenberg Estate Shiraz has been bottled every vintage since 1968, making it South Africa’s longest continuously bottled Shiraz. The journey began in 1964, when then-owner Eleanor Finlayson planted a small block of Shiraz after returning from a visit to France’s Rhône Valley. At the time, it was just the second recorded Shiraz planting in the country.

It was a bold and forward-thinking decision. Shiraz, still relatively unknown in South Africa, had shown its strength in warm climates and poor, gravelly soils – conditions that matched our Bottelary slopes. Eleanor believed the variety would thrive here, and it did.
Today, fruit is drawn from multiple blocks across the farm, grown on gravel, granite, and clay soils. These variations build complexity into the wine: some sites give perfume and grip; others bring depth and dark fruit.

Picking is timed for peak concentration. Rather than harvesting in the morning, the team picks in the afternoon heat – a technique inspired by Rhône growers. By then, the vine has drawn water from the berries, leaving smaller, more flavour-dense fruit.

Each bunch is hand-harvested and individually inspected in the vineyard. Damaged or sunburnt grapes are clipped off – what the team calls a “bunch clean-up”. At the cellar, they’re destemmed and passed through a second berry-level sort. This double selection ensures clarity and precision in the final wine.

Structured yet approachable, and consistently cellar-worthy, the Estate Shiraz reflects both the diversity of Hartenberg’s soils and the depth of its legacy.