Tasting Notes

Delicious black-current and blue-berry flavours on the mid-palate offering supple yet firm tannins on the finish. The length of this wine is good, with hints of white pepper and cloves lingering in the mouth. Colour-wise, it has a deep-purple aspect in the glass, a deep-blood-red colour when observed in candle-light. The mid-palate is broad though remarkably elegant with delightful mouth-feel.

The perfect accompaniment to any stew or a juicy steak; this wine will also match perfectly with strong cheeses and even a chocolate and cinnamon desert.

Technical Analysis

Alcohol: 14.52% Residual Sugar: 3.5 g/l Total Acidity: 6.0 g/l pH: 3.45
Bottled: 13th December 2017 Ageing potential: 10-12 years
Production: 13,300 bottles (750ml) 150 bottles (1.5 ltr)

Harvest Report

All together a tough vintage, a compressed vintage where early ripening varieties and mid-season varieties ripened at the same time. We started vintage on the 26th of January and was done picking by the 4th of March. With the threat of drought but hot days a reality South African yields were down and will continue to decline. Luckily for Seven Springs we have springs in the mountains, but not much could be done for those incredibly hot days during the ripening season. 2016 also so a massive fire season for South Africa with many vineyards under threat of being burned down and some even sustained real damage. Lucky for us, we had no major fires in the Hemel-en-Aarde region.

Vinification

The Syrah was fermented in stainless steel tanks for 2 weeks. Pump-overs, to aerate the wine, supplying oxygen to the yeast, were done twice daily until the wine was finished with alcoholic fermentation. The wine was then moved to 2nd and 3rd fill, French oak barrels and the wine was left to mature for 15 months.

A portion of the fruit harvested was fermented separately and, post alcoholic fermentation, was left on the skins for a few days, ‘extended skin contact’, after which it was pressed and put into barrel to age separate from the bulk of the Syrah. Blending of the different barrels happened in early 2017.

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