2022 Porseleinberg Syrah

Porseleinberg is one of the most distinctive sites in the Swartland. Owned by the Boekenhoutskloof estate but run independently, the estate is known for its challenging, windblown vineyards on a mountainside with shale-based soils, where winemaker Callie Louw practices minimal-intervention winemaking with natural yeasts and fermentation in concrete.

The 2022 vintage stands out as the lowest-alcohol bottling ever produced there, the result of a hot, dry end to the season that naturally checked ripening and delivered fruit of remarkable concentration and purity. Aged in a mix of large foudres and concrete to preserve freshness, this is a Syrah of both power and finesse.  The wine is fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete with around 95% whole bunches. 

Tasting note: It shows a mid-deep ruby colour, with an immediately expressive nose. Aromas of white pepper, wild herbs and dark berry fruit along with red cherries, and plums are lifted by delicate notes of dried flowers and spice. On the palate, the fruit is pure and precise, framed by chalky tannins that lend the wine structure. There is a nice minerality, layered with spice and herbal complexity. The tannins are clothed in fruit but offer sinewy grip with accents of earth and a sanguine note.

Wine Press: 99pts - Tim Atkin MW  '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 Syrah's 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.'