Elysium

The sixth vintage of this unique co-fermented wine is only possible due to the rare occurance of merlot and syrah ripening at the same time on the Holden Manz farm in Franschhoek. The individual varietals were hand-picked on 4 April 2022 by our Cellarmaster and then hand-sorted allowing only the most optimally ripe berries to be used for this wine. Five brand new 225 litre French oak barrels with medium toast were filled with a mix of merlot and syrah berries. The barrels were rolled regularly until spontaneous fermentation occurred. Cuvaison took place over approximately 50 days.

Winter 2021 saw cool temperatures and good strong rains allowing the vines a chance to rest. Growing season was dominated by moderate temperatures, moderate rainfall and winds and a slow ripening period. 2022 harvest was a little later than normal due to cooler weather throughout the season, which persisted through harvest time and expressed itself with berries of higher acidity. The season produced strong vine growth, good bunch and berry sizes.

27 months matured in new French oak barrels.