Winery	Hartenberg
Region	Stellenbosch, South Africa
Vintage	2005
Type	Red
Grape Varietals	Cabernet Sauvignon
Retail Price	$55
Rating	6.5/10

Whenever I felt like going for South African wine, one place always comes into mind - Wine Network. This is one of the specialist wine shop that stock a good range of South African labels, although recently they appear to be widening their range to other new world wine producing countries.

This week, I took up the Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from Stellenborsch, South Africa. I usually find South African wine (other than Australian) more approachable when young as compared to French which requires more aging.

Hartenberg 2005 was a pretty bold and masculine wine that is somewhat spicy on the front with aroma of oak toast, white pepper, dark fruits and interestingly Loquat fruit, if you remember the chinese syrup used to treat sore throat or cough. The colour was dark concentrated purplish while the wine has balanced acidity, tannic and nice grip. There were strong forest fruits, sandalwood and slight off bitterish note on the palate. Finishing was of medium length but nothing short of fantastic.   

As a matter of fact, this wine had won the South African Veritas 2007 double gold award. However, if you ask me, my personal opinion is that this wine probably stands equally among most the typical South African Stellenbosch wine, though at the end of the day, it all boils down to personal taste, which is rather subjective. That aside, I was rather disappointed that this wine is not too approachable initially mainly due to the smoky oak which otherwise seem too prominent and inevitably transferred some bitterness to the wine. 

At $55, I find Hartenberg quite expensive compared to some of the good Australian we can easily find. In fact one of my greatest complaint is that price of wine from Wine Network is getting steeper, and soon it will drive me to find better wines at more reasonable prices elsewhere.  

Tasting Notes:  

• Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was a pretty bold and masculine wine that is somewhat spicy on the front with aroma of oak toast, white pepper, dark fruits and interestingly Loquat fruit, if you remember the chinese syrup used to treat sore throat or cough. The colour was dark concentrated purplish while the wine has balanced acidity, tannic and nice grip. There were strong forest fruits, sandalwood and slight off bitterish note on the palate. Finishing was of medium length but nothing short of fantastic.

Food Pairing:

• Meaty dishes such as stew or cheese. 

Ready to Drink:

•  Could be better after 1 or 2 years cellaring. Decanting may be required. 

Available At:

• Wine Network