An invitation to the Vinimark Trade tasting revealed an exciting new tasting venue, The Castle of Good Hope
which is a 17th century (1666-1679) bastion fort in the centre of the city of Cape Town
This stoep, designed by Anton Anreith, was built in 1695 by the Dutch founders and known as “De Puij”
It was rebuilt between 1786 and 1790 and became known as the "Kat" Balcony
However, we were also invited to attend a very special Masterclass tasting of some top South African Syrahs
and this was held in one of the historic rooms of the Castle
Ginette de Fleuriot CWM is the Wine Education & Training Manager for Vinimark Wine Company
She was taking the Masterclass which was entitled Grace meets Grit, Syrah Re-imagined
She gave us a rundown on the history of this noble grape
which research has shown to have originated in the Rhône region of France
(and not, as originally thought, in Persia, now Iran). Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah
DNA analysis in the late 1990s revealed that it's a cross between two French varieties: Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza
Krone Amphora 2023 Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique was the welcoming drink
Bready on the nose, with lots of crisp citrus as expected and enjoyed
Clean and crisp on the palate with a good lasting mousse and flavours
It's a natural ferment, so has lovely lime and lemon crispness
Winemaker Rudi Schultz and Ginette de Fleuriot
Our tasting setup with Riedel glasses
Governor Simon van der Stel's office was the historic room in which the tasting was held
Ginette de Fleuriot explained that It is a wine that has been grown in the Rhone valley for centuries
It was first grown in the Barossa valley in Australia in 1843
and first planted in South Africa in Constantia in the 1890's using vines from Australia
We now send them vines of improved clones!
The wines we were to taste were all cool climate wines We make fine, elegant wines because of our temperate climate and we grow the best clones in suitable terroirs
South Africa's top producers look at phenolic ripeness and precision of fruit and use French oak
Samantha O'Keefe of Lismore wines talked us through the first wine, her 2021 Lismore Syrah from her Greyton vineyards
A perfect Syrah nose, fruit, elegance, complexity and smoke. It is integrated and impressive
So silky on the palate, with cherry, mulberry, rhubarb fruit, a hit of umami marmite on a long, layered palate
with supporting wood. A wine built to last. We scored it very highly
And it was a treat to taste as Samantha's wines often sell out quickly to restaurants, the wine trade and collectors
and we seldom get to taste them
Rudi Schultz of Thelema, talked about his 2022 Sutherland Syrah
It's from Thelema's Sutherland property in cool climate Elgin (not Sutherland in the Karoo)
An impressive nose of dark berry fruit and good wood with some smoke draws you in
Berries and liquorice with good chalky tannins on the palate, wood supporting
and there is good fruit/acid balance giving long flavours
A food wine, another keeper from 20 year old vines. Another high score
Next was the Neil Ellis 2022 Syrah from Darling
With its very forward fruit nose, incense wood and smoke, the palate is soft and velvety
with sweet and sour cherry and red and black berry fruit and some tannins
Danie Keulder is cellarmaster at the historic Groot Constantia estate which is almost as old as the Castle
He presented the 2022 Groot Constantia Estate Shiraz
Velvety on the nose with ripe berry and plum fruit, it draws you in, and the wood is in balance with the fruit
This continues on the palate - it earned a Wow from us
Soft tannins , lovely plum, cherry and red current fruit in layers with a spicy end
Lauren Shantall, director, Scout PR, who invited us to the event
Pieter Carstens winemaker at Leeuwenkuil in the Swartland was showing two of their Heritage Syrahs, 2019 and 2022
The 2019 Leeuwenkuil Heritage Syrah is spicy on the attractive full nose, with dark berry fruit
Silky, not chewy on the palate with good chalky tannins, and lots of cherry, mulberry, blackberry and more!
It stays on the palate and enchants with long flavours and calls for food
The 2022 Reserve Syrah has elegance and perfume on the nose and is velvety on the palate
with lots of dark fruit, grippy chalky tannins with sweet and sour fruit in balance
Then the tasting sped up a lot so sadly Lynne's tasting notes became much briefer...
The next wine was the 2022 Porseleinberg Shiraz, made by winemaker Callie Louw in the Swartland
(Boekenhoutskloof owns the farm)
Fragrant on the nose with roses, violets, red berry fruit and some white pepper spice and that is just the nose
More red berries and juicy dark red plums, the wine is layered with good fruit and some savouriness
Made with minimalist approach, bunch fermented and with 12 months in foudres. Built to last
The controversial plain white embossed label is made by hand in the winery
Boekehoutskloof 2022 Syrah
Red and black berry fruit and spice on the nose and on the full palate which has layers of good fruit and spice.
Armand Esterhuizen of Reyneke presented their 2021 Shiraz
Reyneke winery is certified Biodynamic and the farm is in the Polkadraai area of Stellenbosch
The wine is very dark in colour and has black berry fruit, spice and perfume and finally smoke
Those follow through on the palate, which was a delicious surprise with white pepper, spice
and more dark berry fruit in layers with dark wood and meaty umami flavours. Want some..!
Jacques Cilliers, of Zandvliet in Robertson presented their 2022 as cellarmaster Shiraz
It has smoky wood, good dark berry fruit below on the nose
On the palate, this whole berry fermented wine has sweet berries, soft chalky tannins from the Robertson terroir
and layers of different berry fruit with red plums that reveal themselves as you enjoy
A lovely wine and a food wine. It is matured in older foudres for 18 months
All the stories we have produced since 2012 can be opened from the archive list near the top of the column on the right of this page
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