Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.83%
Grape Varieties Syrah
Syrah100%
Region Elgin
Soil Cartref, Granitic origin, Quartz
Grapes Picked March 23, 2017
Brix at Harvest 24.2°
Grape Clone 9c
Fermentation Vessels Open-Topped Fermenters, Oak Barrel
Maceration 26 days
Oak Aging 17 months
Oak Details 50% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak50%
Oak Types French
Barrel Size 228 litre barrels
Unfiltered Yes
Production Volume 598 bottles
Bottles598
Magnums30
Production Details 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 26 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, all from Burgundy and the Rhone, with only French oak chosen. Importantly, this wine was micro vinified as a separate batch. Over the years we have developed an algorithm to ascertain which coopers work best and how many new and used barrels are utilised. In 2017, 50% was new oak; 100% using 228 litre barrels.
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