"Home of the Worlds Best Shiraz"

'This shows depth and power. The stewed black fruits and blueberry crumble flavours show brilliantly with nothing stopping it from delivering pleasure. Sublime and evolving.' – Decanter World Wine Awards, 96/100 (Gold)

Nose

The Stork shows a complex bouquet of ripe black cherries, violets, sweet spice and sandalwood.

Palate

The palate is richly textured and well rounded with a continuation of the sweet spice note from the nose ending in plush and fine tannins.

History

The Stork Shiraz honours the late Ken Mackenzie, pilot, businessman, farmer and benefactor.  Stork was Ken’s Second World War nickname (as he was tall with long thin legs and a Spitfire pilot) and Shiraz was his preferred red wine.

This limited volume wine represents a vineyard selection of Shiraz from a specific site that is planted solely on clay–rich "terra rossa" type soils. The vineyard ripens a full month later than our Gravel Hill Shiraz site.

Shiraz is the cultivar that has made Hartenberg famous, and The Stork will ensure this reputation continues.

Accolades

'The Stork comes from deep, red clay soils and always has a slightly ferrous, dried blood character to it. Perfumed and concentrated, with blackberry, plum and tangerine fruit, lots of minerality and the structure to age in bottle. Drink 2024-32.' – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2021, 94/100

'Shiraz off deep, clay-rich loam soil, reflected in plush mulberry & plum fruit which absorbs 20 months in 90% new oak & coats firm tannin structure. 2017’s savoury, clove & white pepper will add complexity for many years. Also in 1.5L, as red siblings.' – Platter's Guide, 4.5* (93/100)

'The 2017 The Stork has a concentrated nose of blackberry, iodine and wild heather scents, revealing more red fruit with aeration while retaining admirable delineation. The smooth palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity and a hint of melted tar toward the finish. Quite bold, but a well-crafted Stellenbosch wine. Drink 2022-2034.' – Neal Martin, Vinous, 91/100 (Nov 2021)

Outstanding. Complex. Moreish. We could go on, but we shouldn’t need to - try it for yourself.

Tasting Notes 

Nose

Red fruit burst out of the glass – raspberry, dark cherry and redcurrant – before red pepper, star anise, rose petal and violets join the fray. 

Palate

Mouth-watering acidity and rounded tannins complete the picture on the palate. Outstanding.

Winery

Oldenburg; a hot topic from a cool climate. Anyone who knows anything about South African wine should have Oldenburg fully on their radar – they are producing outrageously good wine and have, very arguably, the most beautiful tasting room to visit in the Cape. Oldenburg, situated in the Banghoek Valley of Stellenbosch, has one of the coolest microclimates in the region. A combination of a mountain amphitheatre, high altitude and cooling winds result in growing conditions about 5 degrees cooler than the rest of Stellenbosch.

The Rondekop Series wines represent a small selection of the best barrels – either single cultivar or a blend – from our iconic Rondekop hill. We believe there are 8 Natural Elements which uniquely impact our vineyards, creating quintessential wine producing conditions. At the centre of it all is our perfectly round hill, Rondekop: the 8th natural element.

Several stone axes have been found on Rondekop itself. These stone axes are from an early Stone Age, estimated to be at least 100,000 years old. Knowing that early humans lived and hunted on Rondekop adds to the mystical nature of our valley. In this special place, we planted our Syrah vineyard blocks.

Vintage Conditions

Moderate weather throughout the 2021 season, and specifically during harvest time, resulted in grapes ripening slower, while developing exceptional colour and flavour. Harvesting began roughly two weeks later than usual due to unusually cool weather conditions throughout the season, which persisted through to harvest. Notably, water resources were also replenished following the recent drought, which contributed to fantastic vine growth, bunch numbers and exceptional berry sizes at Oldenburg Vineyards.

Winemaking & Maturation

Grapes were harvested from a single high-altitude vineyard on Rondekop. The grapes were hand-picked in lugboxes and stored in a coolroom overnight. 10% of grapes were whole bunch fermented and 90% were fermented as whole berries. The whole clusters were footstomped and naturally fermented. 1-3 soft punch downs were done per day and the wine was racked 3 times during fermentation. The wine was aged for 18 months in a combination of a 2500L Austrian foudre as well as 300L and 500L French oak barrels.

Accolades

• 94pts | Platter's

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Colour

Cabernet has seldomly known elegance such as in the Per Se 2020. The wine itself showcases as a deep ruby in the glass.

Nose

A rich and inviting nose with intermingling hints of red and black fruit. Blackberries, red plums and a generous touch of brambles are interwoven with lavender, green tea leaves and rosemary. 

Palate

The palate displays a wonderfully subtle elegance, with a ripe sandy tannin and a racy acidity. Notes of lavender, sour cherries, tree bark and cedar wood delight the taste buds. A beautiful finish of florality and cherry tobacco round off a divine tasting experience.

The Story

The Rondekop Series wines represent a small selection of the best barrels–either single cultivar or a blend from our iconic Rondekop hill. We believe there are 8 Natural Elements that uniquely impact our vineyards, creating quintessential wine-producing conditions. At the center of it all is our perfectly roundhill, Rondekop: the 8th natural element. Per Se is Latin for ´in and of itself. Given the ideal growing conditions, this Cabernet Sauvignon earns its name with pride and conviction. Various elements keep the sunny aspect of the hill cooler during the day and combined with cooler nighttime temperatures allow for slow ripening and development of the perfect flavour spectrum in the grapes.

Winery

Oldenburg; a hot topic from a cool climate. Anyone who knows anything about South African wine should have Oldenburg fully on their radar – they are producing outrageously good wine and have, very arguably, the most beautiful tasting room to visit in the Cape. Oldenburg, situated in the Banghoek Valley of Stellenbosch, has one of the coolest microclimates in the region. A combination of a mountain amphitheatre, high altitude and cooling winds result in growing conditions about 5 degrees cooler than the rest of Stellenbosch.

Oldenburg aims to best reflect their remarkable terroir through the Oldenburg Vineyards (OV) range of wines – a range of single-cultivar wines. There is minimal intervention in the vineyards and the wines are made in an uncompromising manner.

Vintage Conditions

The 2020 season brought another exceptional harvest. The winter months saw good rainfall – only slightly less compared to the previous year. Spring brought ideal conditions, leading to even bud-break and homogenous shoot growth. The summer ripening period was consistent and moderate, and without heat spikes, bringing about uniform flavour development and phenolic ripeness in the grapes.

Winemaking & Maturation

Grapes were hand-harvested and sorted carefully by hand and stored in a cool room overnight. They were then cold-soaked for 5 days before fermentation was initiated, during which the wine was racked twice. Pumpovers were performed up to three times daily. Malolactic conversion was in barrel. Barrels from a single vineyard were selected and blended prior to bottling. The wines were barrel-selected and blended 3 months prior to bottling. Wines were matured for 19 months in 225L French oak barrels in 55% new oak.

Accolades

• 93 points | Platters Guide

Specifications

Cabernet Franc and Merlot led Bordeaux Blend - a rarity in SA that will leave you questioning why that is the case.

Tasting Notes 

Nose

Both red and black fruit jump out of the glass along with the tell-tale signs of Cab Franc – tea leaf and dried herbs. These mingle perfectly with a hint of baking spice and violet, adding to the allure of the wine.

Palate

On the palate, it is weighty and savoury with some grip from the fine grained tannin. The finish is seemingly endless. Built to last. World class.

The Story

Oldenburg’s ultra-premium Rondekop Series draws its name from; you guessed it… Rondekop, the iconic hill situated in the middle of the Oldenburg property. Whether it’s the single varietal Stone Axe Syrah, Per Se Cabernet Sauvignon or the Rhodium Bordeaux Blend – they are all a small selection of the best barrels coming off Rondekop.

Oldenburg’s proprietor – Adrian Van der Spuy – spent a large portion of his life working in the world of precious metals and the name of this wine is a homage to that. Rhodium is one of the world’s most expensive metals and is frequently used in top end jewellery manufacture – and 80% of the world’s supply is mined in South Africa. Fitting name.

Winery

Oldenburg; a hot topic from a cool climate. Anyone who knows anything about South African wine should have Oldenburg fully on their radar – they are producing outrageously good wine and have, very arguably, the most beautiful tasting room to visit in the Cape. Oldenburg, situated in the Banghoek Valley of Stellenbosch, has one of the coolest microclimates in the region. A combination of a mountain amphitheatre, high altitude and cooling winds result in growing conditions about 5 degrees cooler than the rest of Stellenbosch.

Vintage Conditions

2020 was another exceptional harvest. The winter months saw good rainfall – only slightly less compared to the previous year. Spring brought ideal conditions, leading to even bud-break and homogenous shoot growth. The summer ripening period was consistent and moderate, and without heat spikes, bringing about uniform flavour development and phenolic ripeness in the grapes.

Winemaking & Maturation

Grapes were hand-picked and meticulously hand-sorted before destemming. Prior to fermentation, the Cabernet Sauvignon was crushed, while the Cabernet Franc and Merlot were fermented as whole berries. After 5 days of cold soak, fermentation using wild yeast began. During fermentation 1 to 3 punchdowns were done per day for optimal extraction. Post-fermentation, the wine underwent 18 months of maturation as well as malolactic conversion in French oak barrels (28% new).

Accolades

• 95 points | Tim Aitkin

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Specifications