Syrah 393

Enjoy with slow roasted (or braaied) and lightly spiced pork belly.

Another excellent vintage to follow 2017, after 2 years of drought. Winter started a bit late, but was cold enough to get dormancy off to a good start and give the vines a rest. Bud break started late as winter dragged on into September. The early growing season was windy with cold and wet periods leading to uneven flowering and berry set resulting in lower yields. The rest of the growing season was dry and hot followed by much cooler temperatures in February with especially cool nights. Disease pressure was low and the grapes were very healthy with ideal small bunches and small berries. Harvest was a little later than usual with little rain to trouble us. Quite similar conditions to the 2017 vintage. Harvest dates: 20/2/18 – 1/3/18 @ 22.6 – 25°B

Time in barrel 20 months with only 2 gentle rackings. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered by hand.

Handpicking into 20 kg crates. Destemming and gentle crushing directly into small 2 ton open top fermentation tanks with 10% whole bunches. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. 30°C with the cap of skins punched down manually 1 - 3 times a day for 14 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. Malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 35% new fine grained, slow toasted small French oak was used in the first year and old 700L oak in the second year.

A small family winery at the end of the Upper Blaauwklippen Road in the mountains above Stellenbosch South Africa. Established in 1992 by architect David Trafford & artist wife Rita with the focus on high end red wines of great intensity & longevity using minimal intervention production methods.