Ironstone Syrah 2020 Case
R2184,00
Spicy nose with red berry and cherry. Soft and elegant palate with a smoky and toasty note. Cranberry and cherry on the elegant and well-integrated finish.
100% Syrah
W.O. Elgin
Elgin Vintners, established in 2003, farms 45 hectares of vineyards in the cool-climate Elgin Valley. Our main cultivars are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We also have Merlot and Syrah. We practise sustainability in business, vineyards, and our people. As a result of this holistic approach, critics have awarded our wines top global accolades. Elgin Vintners crafts wines of exceptional poise, finesse, and elegance.
Elgin is South Africa’s coolest wine region. Cooler climates keep grape clusters connected to their roots for longer. Consequently, they develop more characteristics and achieve physiological ripeness more gradually with lower sugar levels and, therefore, lower alcohols. The resultant wines leave one with an impression of delicacy, but also power and insistence over warmer-climate examples, which show bolder but less persistent flavours.
Elgin vineyards sit at 305 m, the fourth highest in South Africa. The cold Atlantic lies close; this has a profound influence on day/night temperatures and prevailing south-easterly winds. At times, the South-Easter brings a cooling respite to the vineyards; however, it can also bring extensive cloud cover that becomes restricted by the surrounding mountains and extends back over the region. As a result, reduced sunlight lowers temperatures and slows the ripening of the grapes.
In more extreme cases, about four or five times yearly, the wind is strong enough and the clouds thick enough to enable precipitation known locally as a Black South-Easter. During these events, substantial rainfall can fall throughout the day. Conversely, on calmer, warmer days, cool coastal breezes move in from the sea as warm air over the land rises. As a result, temperatures drop quickly in the afternoon and into the night, helping maintain acid levels in the grapes. The grapes remain on the vine longer, which extends the ripening period and results in natural balance and complex, powerful flavours.
Leaf plucking starts early in the growing season and exposes the bunches to the morning sun on the eastern side. After veraison, we carry out a green harvest and remove all the green bunches. During the ripening period, we remove all leaves in the bunch zones to ensure full phenolic ripeness
Two clones, SH9 and SH22, are used in Ironstone Syrah. Whole-bunch fermentation takes place in 2-ton open-top wooden fermenters. Thereafter, natural fermentation (no commercial yeast) follows, with punch-down only once per day. Fermentation and time on the skins took 14 days before pressing. Following this, malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, of which 20% are new 300 L French oak barriques. Finally, the wine matures for 20 months in barrel before bottling.
When it comes to food pairing, lamb is a great choice for this style of Syrah. For example, try lamb shawarma or gyros or, if you’re preparing it yourself, play with your spice rack to magnify the natural flavours in Syrah of allspice, clove, and mint. Alternatively, brined and grilled eggplant makes an excellent vegetarian option.
Gilbert & Gaillard Rating 91 pts
Alc:12% • RS:1.4• TA:4.9 • pH:3.5 • FSO2:23 • TSO2:116
