This wine is a blend of 94% Syrah and 6% Viognier. The Syrah component is from the Walker Bay (54%) and Elim (40%) areas, while the Viognier (6%) originates from Franschhoek.
The preceding winter was wet and cold enough to ensure good and even budding. A hot August caused fast budding and an earlier harvesting season. The rest of the season was dry, windy and disease-free, with no heat-waves – very positive factors. Due to climatic conditions, the harvest, that was large, lost moisture, enhancing concentration and eventually ensuring excellent quality. Analyses and flavours were promising.
The Elim vineyards grow in duplex soils with a high content of ferrocrete (coffee stone). The Walker Bay vineyards grow in shallow shale and the Franschhoek vineyards in deep, sandy decomposed sandstone and granite. Cool conditions at Elim resulted in a natural low yield of about 5 tons/ha. The Walker Bay vineyards also rendered a low yield because of dry and windy conditions and shallow shale soils. The Franschhoek Viognier was chosen because of its late ripening and was picked together with the Syrah, in order to co-ferment.
Grapes from the different Syrah vineyards were harvested at different times, but always together with some Viognier. The grapes were hand-sorted, followed by fermentation without stems. Regular pump-overs were done during fermentation at about 25 degrees Celsius. After about 25 days’ maceration, the free run and press wine were transferred together to 300-litre barrels and then matured for 14 months. 75% of the barrels were new. Blending took place and the wine was returned to barrels for another 4 months before bottling took place in November 2016. 13 500 cartons (6 x 750 ml) were bottled.
Good colour and tight, concentrated tannins from the Walker Bay area are combined with spicy, intensely-flavoured wine from Elim, to produce a wine full of flavour and complexity. Intense aromas of green pepper, mulberry, rose perfume and spicy oak are present. Soft, velvety entry with polished silky tannins lively and fresh on the finish.
Alcohol 13,87% Vol
Residual sugar 3,0 g/l
Total acid 5,8 g/l
pH 3,48
