Rustenberg

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Rustenberg is one of Stellenbosch’s historic estates, founded in 1682 and set against the Simonsberg Mountain. Wine has been made here for centuries: by 1781 the farm was producing around 3,000 cases, while wine has been bottled at the estate continuously since 1892. The Barlow family has owned Rustenberg since 1941, making theirs the longest period of ownership by a single family.

The estate covers 880 hectares, with around 120 hectares under vine, alongside farmland, historic Cape Dutch buildings and a sizeable area of protected fynbos. The wines are a mix of classic Stellenbosch varieties and more individual bottlings, with John X Merriman, a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Bordeaux blend, and the estate’s barrel-fermented Stellenbosch Chardonnay among the flagships. There are also site-specific wines from vineyards high on the Simonsberg, including Five Soldiers and Peter Barlow.

There’s plenty of history here, but Rustenberg isn’t stuck in it. The Barlows have invested heavily in the vineyards and winery, and the current winemaking team, led by Murray Barlow, combines traditional methods with modern equipment. It’s a good example of a Stellenbosch estate where the pedigree is backed up by the wines rather than simply the story.

Rustenberg