Syrah 2023 Case
R1554,00
This wine is perfectly enjoyable on its own but will pair beautifully with grilled red meats, slow-cooked-stews, a variety of cheeses(especially blue) and is a personal favourite along side roasted duck breast in a black-berry and orange-zest sauce.
100% Syrah
W.O. Elgin
The 2023 vintage proved one of the most challenging in recent history. Many described it as a year of two harvests: before the rain and after the rain. Though we expect cooler temperatures and higher rainfall than most other wine-producing regions, the 2023 harvest was extremely challenging. In March, traditionally the busiest harvest month, over 600 ml of rain fell constantly over three weeks. The harvest stopped for an entire month while we waited for later-ripening varietals to assimilate the water and ripen, before the onslaught of fungal pressure.
Due to this extreme amount of rainfall, we almost didn’t get around to harvesting the Syrah this vintage. Once the rain finally stopped, we moved quickly into the vines and removed all bunches showing rot, along with any that were visibly less ripe. The vine is an amazing plant, but even it can only assimilate so much rainfall. We thinned the crop and lost about 60% of production. This was necessary to give the remaining healthy grapes a chance to ripen.
We finally picked the grapes on the 3rd of April and let them cold-soak for two days. Given the conditions prior to harvest, the berries were removed from the stalks but were not crushed (whole-berry), and placed into open wooden vats. Not wishing to take any unnecessary risks, the fermentations were inoculated with a yeast strain that favours the fruit profile of the wine. The must fermented at 18–24 °C for just over 15 days and was then pressed immediately into barrels, where it remained until the New Year.
The process has resulted in a wine that is lighter, elegant and fruit-driven in style. Delicate notes of blackcurrant fruit intermingle with floral hints of violets and a sprinkling of white pepper. The tannins are soft and supple, adding a slightly earthy texture to the wine. This is not your typical block-buster South African Syrah; it is more reminiscent of a southern French, northern-hemisphere cool-climate red.
This wine is perfectly enjoyable on its own but will pair beautifully with grilled red meats, slow-cooked stews, a variety of cheeses (especially blue) and is a personal favourite alongside roasted duck breast in a blackberry and orange-zest sauce.
Alcohol: 13% • Total acid: 4.6 • Residual sugar: 1.7 • pH: 3.7
