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 hands since 1953. Now Michael and Rose Jordaan tend to the 28 hectare farm with a vision to create excellent wines and reawaken the charm of the historic land.

The vines are planted to a height of 550m above sea level and with slopes as steep as 45 degrees, the wines have exceptional expression and character. This unique terroir is captured in each vintage of the elegant Bartinney Estate wines. The vines are old, many planted a quarter century ago. Small pockets of hand-tended Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vineyards offer up perfect fruit from low yielding vines on cooler elevated slopes, while the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, in deep red soils, on the slightly lower foothills of the Botmaskop mountains express their mineral and rich berry character in perfect balance.

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.

Rose undertook a five year plan in 2007 to ensure the least negative impact on the environment. From alien tree clearing, starting a fynbos nursery to replant the barren slopes and creating environmental corridors for wildlife, to planting endemic cover crops in the vineyards and over 7 000 indigenous trees. The farm has achieved Carbon Neutral and Champions of Conservation status. The Jordaans have worked tirelessly to create an environment of sustainability while making wines of world-renowned excellence.

Biodiversity has returned in abundance. There’s plentiful birdlife and sightings of cape silver fox, honey badgers, lynx and two resident cape leopards. Even porcupine and baboon, which in the past have been known as pests, have their place in the order of things at Bartinney. There are also mountain biking tracks and mountain walking paths.

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 artisanal craft and traditional, gentle methods carried out in the production of the fruit and Bartinney wine.

World renowned sculptor Dylan Lewis’ magnificent sculpture, ‘Elevage’, iconically settles in the acclaimed fynbos gardens and resembles the winged figure of the Bartinney logo. Landscape artist, Strydom van der Merwe, helped establish a 2 hectare land art form of ‘Elevage’ in fynbos plants in the newly planted Hourglass Chardonnay vineyard, the first of its kind in the world and visible from an aeroplane as a tribute to Biodiversity and Sustainability.

The wines are enjoyed at The Tasting Shed on Bartinney Estate or at the Bartinney Wine and Champagne Bar in Stellenbosch town as guests spill onto Bird street glasses in hand.