Rustenberg

Good wine, atmosphere and a wonderful annual indigenous plant sale.

I was very ably assisted by hosts Roland and Bernard. Roland grew up on the farm and has been working in this tasting room for a few years. He has a wide knowledge of wine, gleaned from experience and having completed several courses through the CWA including Front-of-House and Certificate. I tried a new cultivar (to me) – Roussanne which hails from France’s Rhone Valley, both North and South. Normally a blending varietal (with Marsanne in France), it is dry, light, almost effervescent and with a racy acidity. Interestingly, Rustenberg is the first winery in SA to have imported and grow this varietal. The Roussanne was followed by the RM Nicholson 2009, a Cab S/Shiraz-led blend with a smidgen of P Verdot, Malbec and Cab F. Young and quite tannic, but softened after some 15 minutes in the glass. Very more-ish. Then on to the John X Merriman 2008, a Cab S, Mer, P Verdot, Malbec blend, which scored high in my books. This was followed by a horizontal tasting of the Peter Barlow (100%) Cab Sauv 2005 and 2006. The ’05 wins hands-down. I bought a bottle of the RM Nic which came in a presentation pack together with a winery-branded glass. Nice touch I thought … and good value too. Would I visit here again? For sure!

I love the John X Merriman and think it is one of the best red blends in SA. Really sad that the Brampton range has been discontinued – thought the OVR was great value for money. Still an old favourite, though.

John X the best And Five Soldiers Chardonay, dont forget about the Peter Barlow.

Great wines even though most of the good ones are sold out. Staff friendly and knowledgeable.

Great place with some of the best trained staff on any farm.

Rustenberg is by far my favourite winefarm. The drive in really is something special, being a dairy as well there are beautiful rolling green hills that you pass on the way to the winery, and in Summer its unbelievable. The gardens are immaculate. But the wines are also great. The John X Merriman is brimming with potential and looking forward to it aging a couple of years. The wooded viognier was also lovely. All in all a farm that I will constantly go back to just to walk around and take in the surroundings.

Stellenbosch Campus, Idas Valley and then Rustenberg farm. This drive genuinely feels as if you are leaving and entering towns that are seperated by 1000′s of kilometers! It could equate to the best dream you could ever have….. The tasting room is unique and so are all there wines. The brampton range makes that perfect gift for a friend that is beginning to drink wine. The BIG wow has to be there magnificently crafted Rustenberg range.
Another aspect of this wine estate is the beautifully manicured gardens! Take that special someone along and make a day out of it!
Truely, truel magnificent!

Well trained and friendly staff that know their product. Can recommend this farm as a well rounded experience.

Always professional service – they make you feel like you are the only visitor on the farm. And the gardens are so beautifully maintained! The slow winding road up to the cellar slows you down and let’s all the stress disappear

great scenary and drive leading up to tasting venue Funky tasting glasses exceptional value for the brampton Cab sav and Viognier

Interesting spitting facilities, breathtaking scenery, friendly staff and hilarious stories, all contributed to a great experience.

Our friendly and funny host Roland, shared the story of Brampton the stud bull with us. Brampton was the proud father of 13000 Calfs which he produced in only 15 years. You go boy!

I enjoyed the Rustenberg Roussanne, which is a white wine grape from France’s Rhone Valley. Rustenberg is the only wine estate in the country that grows and produce this cultivar.

Their prices varied from R40 for Brampton range to R300+ for the single vineyard range, so there is something for every wallet.

Overall,we had a great time!

I visited here on New Year’s Eve 2008. It was long way up the drive but well worth it. The setting is beautiful, surrounded by the mountains and jersey cows in the field. The gardens and manor house are magnificent too. This was probably my favourite tasting during my holiday and we visited LOTS of wineries in 4 weeks! They had special tasting glasses, which were quirky and had a very broad range of wines to taste. The hightlight was definitely the Peter Barlow – superb. They also told us where we could buy the wines in the UK. Not to be missed

Last week I had a high-ranking Australian diplomat visiting. I thought Rustenberg would offer her an excellent South African wine experience, but due to unforseen circumstances we ended up running quite late. Our party arrived at the estate’s gates at 16:28 and I was quite certain that we would be turned away (since the tasting room usually closes at 16:30).

Quite unexpectedly we were told to go in. The lady who subsequently served us did not rush through the tasting and ensured that my Australian friend felt welcome. The tasting made a huge impression on the Aussie diplomat. Kudos to Rustenberg for going out of their way for clients.

RF

The old manor house, perfectly-manicured gardens and understated modernistic tasting room gives Rustenberg a lovely balance between tradition and the newfangled vision of wine. Although I’m not overly familiar with their entire range, their John X Merriman stands out as one of the best reds in the country – in my very humble opinion. Much like the estate in general, the wine straddles extremes and scores highly on colour and texture. The nose is aromatic, yet perfectly fruit and this smooth wine just slides down one’s throat…