Handpicked from 17-year-old dryland vines on Swartland schist soils. 100% de-stemmed & fermented in open-top fermenters. Elevage took place in 500L French oak puncheons for 12 months.
FOOD PAIRING
Works well with beef and lamb dishes from the stove top, oven or braai as well as Venison stews and Potjie
VINEYARDS
A selection of our best, estate grown, red grapes were used for this wine. Soils are a combination of decomposed granite and shale. Average annual rainfall is approximately 650mm.In order to optimize the influence of terroir the vineyards were managed according to organic principles (certified organic according to EU and US legislation).
VINIFICATION
All the grapes were hand-picked. The Cabernet was de-stemmed and the Syrah, Mourvedre and Touriga Nacional were partially de-stemmed. Fermentation took place in open-topped tanks. Maturation occurred in French oak barrels (30% new) for 18 months. The individual components were fermented separately and then blended after 6 months.
FOOD PAIRING
Enjoy with Rump Steak and Pepper Sauce
VINEYARDS
Only our own, organically grown, grapes were used for this wine. The best Syrah vineyards are planted in the rockiest sites. The average age of the vineyards is 16 years. This wine is certified as ‘organic’ by Control Union.
VINIFICATION
Grapes were hand-picked and partially de-stemmed (about 30% of were fermented with their stems). Fermentation occurred in open fermenters and the wine then spent 18 months in a combination of 225L, 300L and 500L oak barrels.
FOOD PAIRING
Enjoy with Massaman Curry
VINEYARDS
Made from a combination of estate vineyards and specially selected vineyards on neighbouring farms. All the vineyards lie on the south western edge of the Paarl region. The climate is Mediterranean – i.e. cold, wet winters and dry summers. Soils are a combination of decomposed granite and Malmesbury shale. Vine age varies from 15 to 19 years.
VINIFICATION
The grapes were hand-picked, de-stemmed, lightly crushed and then fermented in small open-topped tanks. The varietals were harvested and fermented separately. After 10 months maturation in a combination of seasoned oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, the various batches were blended and the wine was bottled.
FOOD PAIRING
Enjoy with Pizza
VINEYARDS
Two vineyards were used, both situated in the South – western part of the Paarl wine region of South Africa. The 2017 vintage was characterised by a warm and dry growing season. Although the low soil-moisture levels led to some stress, the vines were very healthy in terms of diseases and pests, and the grapes ripened easily.
WINE MAKING
Grapes were partially de-stemmed (66%) and the remainder fermented as whole – bunches. Fermentation took place in open-fermenters. Macerations were relatively short (4 – 6 days) and the resulting wine was transferred to old barrels straight after pressing. Bottling took place after a 10 month maturation period. No additives apart from Sulphur were used
FOOD PAIRING
Charcuterie Platter/ Mezze/ Tapas
A rich and spicy wine which is great paired with French country dishes such as cassoulet or a beef daube Provençal. It is also delicious with grilled regional sausages e.g. Toulouse. Amazing with simply prepared dry-aged rump or ribeye steak, seasoned with a little sea salt and crushed black pepper and a few pan-fried mushrooms, ideally cep or porcini, and a dash of the best extra virgin olive oil.
This Syrah is drinking well now and will improve in the bottle till 2020 and beyond.
Our partner Billy Hughes grows organic grapes at Kasteelsig vineyard in the Swartland region. The grapes are dry farmed. Soil in the vineyard is primarily Glenrosa, a composite soil of decomposed shale with a little granite. Vines are 12 years old and the yield in 2013 was around 7 tons to the hectare.
The grapes were handpicked over a few days in late February 2013 into small baskets and taken to our cellar where they were destalked and gently crushed. We fermented the Syrah in small open bins where it was hand punched four times a day. We prefer the native yeast from the vineyard. The wine matured in French and Hungarian oak for a total of 20 months. We filled 10051 bottles.
IN THE VINEYARDS
Two mature, trellised, mountainside vineyards, planted with a variety of clones produce this Syrah. Overlooking False Bay, the vines enjoy the cooling influence of the famous Cape Doctor (the prevailing South Easterly wind) during summertime. The rocky, gravelly nature of the soil promotes the production of balanced, finely textured wines which show restrained fruit and interesting spice and fynbos notes.
IN THE CELLAR
Grapes were hand harvested, crushed and destemmed into large stainless steel fermenters where cold soaking was employed for several days on the skins to promote fruitiness, colour and flavour. Cool, spontaneous fermentation and a quick removal from skins after its completion was chosen as opposed to warm fermentation and extended post fermentation skin contact which would have led to over extraction. Pump-overs were limited to one or two a day depending on the phase of fermentation and this has resulted in the extraction of soft tannins and a lithe texture. Half of the wine was matured in older French oak barrels (3rd, 4th and 5th fill) for 6 months and assembled with the tank matured half before bottling.
FOOD PAIRING
Casserole, fillet steak, tomato based pasta dishes.
VINIFICATION
Harvested late at optimum ripeness with cold maceration over 8 days, low temperature fermentation, and extended pump-overs with malolactic fermentation in barrel. A further 14 months in old and new French oak.
Produced: 1000 x 6 bottle cases
FOOD PAIRING
Grilled or roast beef with pepper sauce
Varietal: Shiraz
Root stock: 101-14
Soil type: Tukulu / Glenrosa
Age of vines: Planted 2004, 2005
Plant density: 2353 vines/ha
Trellising: 7 wire Perold with moveable foliage wires
Pruning: Spur
Yield: 12 t/ha
Irrigation: Supplementary drip
Vintage: Very hot and dry vintage, resulting in an early start to the picking, with different varieties ripening the same time. It was a tough vintage for the winery crew.
Picking date 21 – 31 March 2014
Yeasts: Natural occurring yeasts
Fermentation temp: 28 °C
Method: De-stalked, hand sorting of berries, crushed, pumped into stainless steel tanks, pumped over for 5 days, left for 2 days before pressing, racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation.
Wood Maturation: 18 months in barrel. 20% new French oak, balance 3rd and 4th fill barrels
The spicy character of this wine lends itself to stews and grilled beef
VINEYARD
The grapes were sourced from a single vineyard of Syrah situated only 3 km from False Bay on the chilly Atlantic Ocean. The vineyards are planted on low vigour, well drained, granitic origin soils. The vines are managed to retain a healthy balance between grape production and growth and the crop was reduced to 6 tons per hectare. The mature vines are naturally low yielding and all damaged or unripe grapes were removed before harvest. The fruit was uniformly ripe and was picked on the basis of analysis, taste and vine physiology.
VINIFICATION
The grapes were totally de-stemmed and partially crushed directly into custom- made 5 ton stainless steel fermenters. Approximately 20% of the berries remained whole. The first half of fermentation was allowed to proceed naturally, while the second part was completed by a neutral Rhone yeast.
The cap was manually punched down twice a day at the beginning of fermentation and then pumped over for the remaining 2 days. At the end of fermentation the wine was pressed and the wine run directly to barrels. The press wine was kept separate.
The wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation in oak. 300 l “hogsheads” were used and 15% of the barrels were new, the remainder were second fill. All the barrels were tight grained French Allier Oak. The wine received one racking during the first year of elevage. The best barrels were selected bottled after 16 months in oak, with no filtration and consequently might throw a harmless deposit in the bottle.
FOOD PAIRING
Grilled lamb crown roast with lemon and rosemary.
Harvested from three vineyards in Elim, each from a different clone, on soils varying from shale, gravel and Ferricrete also known as Koffieklip. The 2017 Syrah is a beautiful example of cool-climate Syrah and a great counterpoint to the more commonly found warm-climate Syrah in South Africa. Minimal intervention was used during the winemaking process. After de-stemming, wine fermented naturally in open-top containers and benefitted from daily punch-downs. The wine then spent 11 months in old 225L French oak and was bottled in February 2018.
The wine was made in a natural way, with only sulphur additions.
“Diversity is the cornerstone of my philosophy. I am always searching for unique perspectives and for varieties that are absolutely true to their area.” – Trizanne Barnard, Winemaker
Hand picked from 17-year-old dry-land vines on Swartland schist soils. 100% de-stemmed & fermented in open-top fermenters. Elevage took place in 500L French oak puncheons.
“Diversity is the cornerstone of my philosophy. I am always searching for unique perspectives and for varieties that are absolutely true to their area.” – Trizanne Barnard, Winemaker