Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.05%
Grape Varieties Syrah
Syrah100%
Region Elgin
Soil Cartref, Granitic origin with quartz
Grapes Picked March 24, 2016
Brix at Harvest 22.0°
Grape Clone 9c
Fermentation Vessels Open Topped Fermenters
Maceration 25 days
Oak Details 45% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak45%
Oak Types French
Barrel Size 228 litres
Unfiltered Yes
Production Volume 370 bottles
Bottles370
Production Details In 2016, the preceding winter was fairly dry but cold units were exceptional (1,200) with plenty of frosty mornings, allowing the vines to go into a proper dormancy. Rain did finally fall in August and September but as October began, the effect of the El Niño phenomenon (or ENSO episode) started to take effect. October was unusually warm accelerating budbreak and flowering. The fluctuating warm and cool days meant flowering was uneven, giving rise to smaller potential bunch sizes. After a cooler November, December was warm, sunny and dry enabling potential diseases to be kept at bay. A hot and dry January, meant acidity retention by the vine was challenging but after a warm start to February, the weather finally became cooler - and night time temperatures also dipped more so than average - providing the vine with some respite after a particularly torrid summer. The drier conditions meant that disease pressure was minimal, and a healthy crop was picked in late March. The thicker skins held plenty of anthocyanins but meant it was crucial to avoid over extraction. Thus, gentler punch-downs were employed, and post fermentation maceration was shorter with the press fraction matured separately from the free run juice. This resulted in deeper colours with supple, pliant tannins; although acidities were softer than average, fruit concentration was high, and the wines have a lifted black fruit flavour profile. The grapes were handpicked under autumnal skies into small lug baskets and then manually sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed. The destemmed berries fell onto a vibrating table in order to remove jacks and substandard berries before dropping uncrushed into a small 500kg conical hopper and forklifted into open-topped fermenters. The grapes underwent a 3-day maceration before spontaneous fermentation began. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 25 days. The wine was then racked to barrel under gravity and the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded in barrel followed by a light sulphuring and 17-month maturation. No finings were necessary and the wine was simply racked and bottled unfiltered. A small number of artisanal coopers were selected from Burgundy and the Rhone, with only French oak chosen. 45% of the oak was new with the remainder split into 2nd fill barrels, 228 litres in size.
Tasting Notes
white pepper, violet/lavender, Victoria plum, iodine
▸ Sources (1)
Producer Information
Website
Address
Elgin, Western Cape, South Africa
Phone
+27 21 200 2589
Email
Owner
Richard Kershaw
Cellarmaster
Richard Kershaw MW