| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | South Africa |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2023 growing season was "dry and difficult", according to Callie Louw, at least in this wild and starkly beautiful corner of the Swartland, but you wouldn’t know it from the quality of this superlative Syrah. Picked late, right up to March 8th, it has the concentration and intensity of a small crop. Fermented with 90% whole clusters, with 70% of the wine using the submerged cap technique, it's one of the most sublime Porseleinbergs yet, pairing aromas of incense, thyme and black pepper with firm, age-worthy tannins, blackberry, red berry and liquorice flavours and a stony, mineral core. Truly world class. 2027-35
This latest release of Porseleinberg may be the best yet. Shiny ruby-purple in the glass, there is a light reduction as you would expect from such a young wine, but this is quickly overwhelmed by vibrant red and blue fruits that soar from the glass with notes of black and white pepper, dried rosemary and a touch of fennel seed. The palate is a testament to Callie Louw's work in the cellar, using a submerged cap system to extract only the finest, ripest tannins. The result is a wine with velveteen texture, ample but smooth and supple, with the vineyard's textbook freshness shining through in notes of red cherry, red berries and a touch of fresh blueberry. Notes of sage and rosemary, black and white pepper and again that light, fragrant anise akin to fennel all come through. It is very early days, but this is an impeccably balanced, moreish and complex Syrah. Outstanding.
