Cederberg Syrah

Lamb loin confit belly, served with harissa, babaganoush, chick peas, baby marrow, pistacchio and lamb jus.

This vineyard was planted in 2006 on the oldest farm in the Cederberg dating back to 1790. The elevation of the site is 940m. The clone used is SH22F on R99 rootstock. Sandstone with underlying ferricrete soils. An average of 600-700mm annual rainfall. The cold nights (average minimum winter temperature is 3.8 ̊C) following the warm days (summer average maximum temperatures are only 22,7 ̊C, but it can also reach 40 ̊C with heatwaves) results in massive diurnal temperature variation (on average 12 ̊C) and therefore in grapes with more balance natural acidity and higher intensity of flavour, colour and tannin synthesis. The slower phenolic ripening process means a much longer ripening period in general that helps to retain acidity and essentially the stability of the wines. In the winter the north-western winds from Elandsbaai (80km away on the west coast) bring the rain and in the summer the cooling south-eastern winds blow from the Ceres-Plateau. The Cape leopard still roams in this region and on my first visit to the farm I spotted a huge male (they can reach an average weight of 35kg) crossing the road less than 30m from me.

All fermentations took place spontaneously with naturally occurring yeast. Malolactic fermentation also occurred spontaneously, with maturation in 1000-litre oak foudres for 11 months. The wine was bottled without fining, to ensure a more complex and authentic expression of Syrah.

Cederberg’s Syrah has massive intensity and therefore one needs to take your foot of the pedal in the winery to achieve balanced wines that showcases the region. The higher level of tannins in the fruit means only 30- 60% of whole clusters were used during fermentation for the various batches. The rest of the fruit was only destemmed, but left as whole berries. Pump-overs are limited to a maximum of two a day during the peak of fermentation (done in open-top fermenters and two 1000-litre oak foudres.

DAMASCENE is a partnership between Jean Smit and David Curl, former owner of Château Gaby in Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux. What began as a conversation around making wine from the Pinot Noir planted on Curl’s Elgin estate swiftly revealed the pair’s shared passion for celebrating unsung pockets of South African terroir. Following the maxim of ‘Less cult, more cultivation’, the founding philosophy of DAMASCENE is simple, yet unyielding: that the journey to great wine can only begin in the vineyard. “DAMASCENE is about seeking out memorable vineyards and sites that truly showcase the incredible diversity of terroir we have here in the Western Cape,” says Smit. “I spend countless days on the road, covering thousands of kilometres, visiting vineyards and farmers in search of special parcels of land.”