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Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2022 The Eleanor Chardonnay, Hartenberg Wine Estate Wine Republic

2023 The Eleanor Chardonnay, Hartenberg Wine Estate

Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

Golden Poise

Hartenberg’s 2023 The Eleanor Chardonnay is one of those Cape whites that makes a very persuasive case for serious Stellenbosch Chardonnay. Named after Eleanor Finlayson, the estate’s poised and formidable matriarch, it opens with bright lemon, yellow apple, white peach, toast, citrus blossom and a subtle nutty richness. It feels polished, but not overdone.

On the palate, it is creamy on entry, then pulled beautifully into shape by crisp acidity and a lingering mineral line. Ripe yellow apple carries through the middle, lifted by a little gooseberry tartness and a fine toasted edge from oak. Elegant, structured and built to develop, this is Chardonnay with confidence, freshness and quiet class.

For when
The white wine needs to feel as considered as the main course.

Pairs with
Roast chicken, scallops, oysters, Cape line-fish, lobster, mushroom risotto, Chardonnay risotto with basil cream, Comté or goats’ cheese tart.

Hartenberg sits on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch, a historic estate with a reputation for wines of structure, longevity and regional character. The Eleanor is the estate’s super-premium Chardonnay, honouring Eleanor Finlayson, who owned Hartenberg with her husband Maurice when it was still known as Montagne. Strong, sophisticated and poised, it is a fitting name for a wine that balances richness with restraint.

Whats in the bottle
100% Chardonnay

Notable Awards
95/100 Platter’s Guide 2026

£36.95 - £36.95
£36.95
£36.95 - £36.95
£36.95
Availability:
In stock

Hartenberg is one of Stellenbosch’s historic estates, with roots reaching back to the late 17th century and a striking position on the north-eastern slopes of the Bottelary Hills. The property has passed through several important families, including the Finlaysons, before the Mackenzie family took ownership in 1987 and helped shape its modern reputation.

For many years, Hartenberg has been closely associated with cellar master Carl Schultz, one of the Cape’s most respected winemaking figures and a long-standing member of the Cape Winemakers Guild. The estate is especially famous for ageworthy Shiraz, including Gravel Hill and The Stork, but Chardonnay has become one of its great white-wine strengths. The Eleanor sits at the top of that Chardonnay story, combining oak polish, citrus freshness and serious cellaring potential.

Hartenberg is also a leader in regenerative farming. Its restored wetlands, biodiversity work and soil-led approach have made the estate one of South Africa’s most thoughtful examples of long-term vineyard stewardship, adding real confidence to the quality in the bottle

The 2023 The Eleanor Chardonnay is made from 100% Chardonnay grown in Stellenbosch. The wine was aged for 11 months in 225-litre French oak barriques, with 30% new oak, giving structure, toast and subtle spice while preserving the wine’s citrus and mineral drive.

The 2023 vintage was a fascinating and challenging one in the Cape, with late-season rain adding pressure during harvest. Careful selection was vital, and this wine shows the precision of that approach: bright acidity, ripe yellow apple, lemon, toast and a creamy but disciplined palate. The finished wine sits at 13% alcohol, with 2.5 g/l residual sugar, 6.95 g/l total acidity and a pH of 3.43, giving it both richness and excellent freshness.

The estate gives The Eleanor a cellaring window of up to 15 years from vintage, and the structure here supports that. It is already expressive, but the combination of oak, acidity and concentration should allow further complexity to build with time.