| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | South Africa |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a "crazy year", with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januaries ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site.
2025-40
The latest vintage of Porseleinberg is a knockout. A hot, dry end to the growing season shut down the vines and gave this wine a resulting 13.3% alcohol - the lowest ever from this site. The result is spectacular. Mid-deep ruby in colour, the nose is open, expressive and already very complex. Fragrant with notes of garrigue, the layers of sage, rosemary and thyme intertwine with red cherry and berry fruit, together with just a hint of dried flowers. The palate is just as expressive, precise but with a wild edge of fruit and herb. Spicy and complex, satiny on entry, the purity of the mid-palate fruit is matched by the flair of spice, herb and iron-like layers underneath brought out by the chalky tannins that give this wine its sense of place. Very long with a complex and fine-boned tannic lift on finish, this is an outstanding wine that you could approach now but will doubtless improve in bottle for over a decade. Brilliant.
The Porseleinberg 2022 Swartland Syrah shows extra smokiness and spice. New foudre were delivered and were used for the first time in this wine. Rain was abundant at 470 milliliters (the average in these parts is 450 milliliters), and the alcohol is low at 13.3%. Drinking the 2022 now is premature, as the wine is still quite shy and restrained. A challenging ripening phase was followed by prolonged heat in January and big diurnal temperature shifts. Winemaker Callie Louw calls it "stress maturing," which results in a bigger, more muscular fruit profile with open-knit tannins and abundant fruit. Callie Louw puts a priority on exposing the character of a vintage. All man-made variables remain constant. The DNA of this particular site is reflected in the tannins of the wine. They are chalky and elegant.
