Rustenberg
South Africa
Some estates chase trends; Rustenberg has simply kept doing what it does best since 1682. Tucked into the valley beneath the Simonsberg mountain in Stellenbosch, this is one of the oldest continuously farmed wine properties in South Africa, and you can taste that history in every bottle. The vineyards sit on cool, well-drained slopes that have been proving their worth for over three centuries, long before anyone had coined the term 'terroir'. What makes Rustenberg worth your attention today isn't just the age of the place, it's who's running it. The Barlow family bought Rustenberg in 1941 and have owned it ever since, the longest single-family tenure in the farm's long history. Simon Barlow began modernising the estate from 1987, bringing rigour and ambition to a property that had all the raw ingredients but needed someone to sharpen the focus. His son Murray, twice named Diner's Club Young Winemaker of the Year before joining the family business in 2012, represents the next chapter: someone who grew up around these vines and has since brought fresh technical precision to them. That combination, deep-rooted history paired with a genuinely modern approach, is what defines Rustenberg's wines. They're structured and built to age, the kind of bottles that reward patience rather than instant gratification. The estate has built its reputation on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Bordeaux-style blends that show real seriousness of intent, and increasingly on varietal wines like Malbec that let a single grape speak clearly about where it's grown. We stock Rustenberg because it represents Stellenbosch doing what it does best: taking a genuinely historic site and refusing to let that history become a museum piece. Every wine carries the Wine of Origin Stellenbosch seal, but more than that, it carries the confidence of a producer who knows exactly what their slopes are capable of. For UK drinkers exploring South African wine beyond the obvious names, Rustenberg offers something rare: a direct line back to the earliest days of Cape winemaking, made relevant by people still asking how to do it better.
The Rustenberg Story
Rustenberg's story begins in 1682, when the land below the Simonsberg was granted to a farmer named Roelof Pasman. He wasted no time putting vines in the ground, and by 1691 he had planted 5,000 of them, an early act of faith in a stretch of Stellenbosch that would go on to prove itself one of the finest sites in the Cape. Three centuries of farming history followed, long before Rustenberg became a name South African wine lovers would recognise.
The modern era of the estate began in 1941, when Peter Barlow bought Rustenberg. It was a purchase that would shape the property for generations, because the Barlow family has owned it ever since, the longest unbroken family tenure in the farm's history. At some point after acquiring Rustenberg, the family amalgamated it with the neighbouring farm Schoongezicht, drawing the two properties together into the single Simonsberg estate that exists today.
The real transformation came later, when Simon Barlow took the reins and began modernising Rustenberg from 1987 onwards. He brought focus and investment to a site that had history in abundance but needed technical ambition to match it, setting the estate on the path towards the structured, ageworthy wines it's known for now.
His son Murray joined the family business in 2012, arriving with real credentials of his own, having twice been named Diner's Club Young Winemaker of the Year. His arrival marked a natural handover of expertise from one generation to the next, keeping Rustenberg firmly in family hands while ensuring the winemaking keeps evolving. It's a rare thing in any industry: a single family, unbroken since 1941, still asking how to make an already historic property even better.
Winemaking Philosophy
Rustenberg's story starts on the slopes rather than in the cellar. The vineyards sit on the cool, well-drained flanks of the Simonsberg, and that site, more than any technique, shapes what ends up in the bottle. These slopes catch the breeze off False Bay and hold onto their acidity even as the Stellenbosch sun does its work, which is exactly why Rustenberg's wines have a reputation for structure that rewards patience.
When Simon Barlow began modernising the estate from 1987, the goal wasn't to chase trends but to let that Simonsberg fruit speak with more clarity. Careful site selection, considered use of oak and a restrained hand in the cellar all serve the same purpose: precision without stripping away character. His son Murray, twice named Diner's Club Young Winemaker of the Year before joining the estate full time in 2012, has continued that thread, bringing a younger generation's eye to old vineyard sites.
The results show most clearly in the Chardonnay and the Bordeaux-style reds built around Cabernet Sauvignon, both built for the long haul rather than instant gratification. Even the more approachable bottlings, like the Malbec, carry that same underlying seriousness, fruit given room to develop real depth rather than being rushed to market.
It's an approach built on patience: patience in the vineyard, patience in the cellar, and a belief that a good site, properly understood, will always outlast a passing style.
Wines from Rustenberg
A selection of Rustenberg wines available through South African Wines.
