Hourglass Chardonnay

Try pairing with creamy prawn and saffron tagliatelle or poached salmon with caper butter sauce.

Bartinney Wine Estate is nestled against the steep slopes of Botmaskop in the Banghoek valley. The 29Ha farm comprising 17Ha of vineyards and a floral kingdom of fynbos and indigenous trees, has a uniform terroir. Well drained, deep red gritty soils provide an excellent medium for vineyards to produce good quality grapes. A long cold and wet winter made way for a cool dry spring. This assured even flowering, especially for the earlier ripening varieties such as Chardonnay. Later on, the growing season got wetter and remained cool, slowing down the vine phenology, and the eventual ripening speed of the grapes. Very hot mid thirty degrees spells in January did not accelerate the ripening, as the vines shut down during persistent heat to protect themselves. Luckily, Bartinney’s vineyards were well buffered against such extreme conditions, and produced a bumper crop of Chardonnay grapes with very good flavour.

After fermentation, a portion of the wine goes through spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine matures for about 11 months in barrel before it is racked, blended and bottled.

The first vines planted on Bartinney, was Chardonnay, planted in 1990. These are also the highest plantings on the estate. The steep slopes, on which the vines grow, let the grapes ripen at different stages. Each batch is picked when we believe they are fully ripe. The picked grapes are crushed, the juice is settled for 2 days, and then transferred to 225l oak barrels. The barrel blend is up to 50% new. The toasting is very light (blond), and the wood grain extra tight, to avoid overly toast and smoke characteristics which will mask the wines ’fruit flavour.

Bartinney is set on the dramatic slopes of Botmaskop alongside the Helshoogte Pass overlooking the picturesque Banhoek Valley in Stellenbosch. Established in 1912 Bartinney has been in the Jordaan family since 1953. Now Rose and Michael Jordaan tend to the 28 hectare farm with a vision to create excellent wines and reawaken the charm of the historic land. Creating excellence in wine has not been a singular pursuit. Our belief is that every aspect must work in harmony: agriculture with nature people with animals sustainability with excellence. The old vines are planted to a height of 550m above sea level and with slopes as steep as 45 degrees creating wines that have exceptional expression and character. Small pockets of low yielding hand-tended Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vineyards offer up perfect fruit on the cooler elevated slopes. On the slightly lower foothills of the Botmaskop mountains the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are tended to. The perfect conditions to grow grapes with a balance of rich and mineral characters. The winged figure depicted on each bottle is called ‘Elevage’ and symbolises the French art of the selective maturing and ascension of a wine to its ultimate heights unfurling its most noble traits. This idea is embodied in the team work small-lot artisanal craft and gentle methods relied upon to create excellence year-on-year. World renowned sculptor Dylan Lewis’ magnificent sculpture ‘Elevage’ iconically resides in the acclaimed fynbos gardens resembling the winged figure of the Bartinney logo. Additionally landscape artist Strydom van der Merwe helped establish a two hectare land art form of ‘Elevage’ in fynbos in the Hourglass Chardonnay vineyard. Visible from an aeroplance this is the first of its kind in the world – a fitting tribute to Biodiversity and Sustainability. Bartinney wines are enjoyed at The Tasting Shed on Bartinney Estate or at the Bartinney Wine and Champagne Bar in the heart of Stellenbosch where guests regularly spill onto Bird Street glasses in hand.