Hartenberg Tenacity Riesling 2019

The first settlers to cultivate the virgin land of the estate now known as Hartenberg were friends Cunraad Boin and Christoffel Esterhuizzen who were granted permission to work 60 morgen (20 ha) of the land in 1692. Even then the wine-bearing potential of the soil was recognized and one of the first tasks that the two partners undertook was the clearing of the land to plant 2 000 vines.

The estate, on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills bordering Stellenbosch Has been owned since 1986 by the MacKenzie family. They strive to safeguard Hartenberg and are proud members of Biodiversity and Wine (BWI) and Integrated Production of Wine (IPW). The estate is home to plentiful wildlife and over 120 species of birds – inspiration to combine the best of nature with fine wine.

‘The Tenacity range of very limited quantities showcases the pinnacle of what can be vinously achieved at Hartenberg. The wines could be once-offs, in the case of discovered old vine parcels in Bottelary, only to be bottled in exceptional vintages, or they could represent wines intended as candidates for CWG Auction Cellar Master Carl Schultz crafts three or four possible candidate wines annually for the CWG, assesses their provenance a year or two after bottling, then selects the best two examples for CWG Selection, be it a Shiraz and a Cab or Merlot or Riesling. The wines not used for sale at the exclusive CWG Auction are then offered under this label range.’ – Hartenberg