Syrah

The spicy character of this wine lends itself to stews and grilled beef

The 2021 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and high winter rainfall, after 5 years of very dry and unusually warm winter conditions. The net result of the later vintage and very cool weather conditions in 2021, is that the grapes had high natural acidity, achieved steady phenolic ripeness and plenty of intense and concentrated fruit flavours.

The wines age gracefully in place for 18 months, with 30 % new French oak barrels, and receive only one racking during this period. After tasting through all the individual lots our winemaking team decides on the final blend, the barrels are emptied into the tank farm and the wines are prepared for bottling.

The grapes were gently de-stemmed, retaining as many whole berries as possible, after which a displacement pump takes the fruit to its fermentation tank. The tanks are then inoculated with a specific commercial yeast strain, this way insuring the development of the perfect flavour profile. Fermentation is done in stainless steel fermenters, and a combination of aerative pump overs and punch down techniques are used to ensure optimal colour, tannin and flavour extraction. Once fermentation is complete the wine is drained off the skins and moved to a holding tank to be barreled down. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the barrels.

Sutherland Vineyards is situated just 9 kms off the Atlantic Ocean with altitudes of 140 to 250 meters above sea level. The cool maritime climate allows for slower ripening than in other Cape Wineland areas producing wines with vibrant concentrated fruit flavours and an elegant minerality. All Sutherland wines are bottled and produced at the estate in Stellenbosch.