Cultivar / Syrah

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Damascene W.O. Stellenbosch Syrah 2022

"The 2022 Syrah from Karabib is 75% whole clusters matured for 11 months in 2,000-liter Austrian oak. This elegant nose of incense and pressed violets infuses the vivacious melange of black and blue fruit. The medium-bodied palate has fine structure, slightly chalky in texture, with real backbone and density, yet the elegance floods through on the black pepper and clove-infused finish. Very persistent in the mouth. Tuck bottles away for several years as this is a serious Syrah sculpted by its cooler microclimate." - Neal Martin, Vinous

Damascene W.O. Swartland Syrah 2022

"The 2022 Syrah from Swartland comes from mostly shale and schist soils, 25% on granite soils, using 75% whole cluster fruit (the shale using submerged cap during fermentation). Aged in 2,000-liter Austrian oak, this leans more towards red berries, with touches of flint and white pepper with a hint of garrigues coming through with aeration. The medium-bodied palate has finely sculpted tannins. There’s a lovely symmetry and focus here, a gentle but insistent grip with the whole bunches imparting irresistible peppery notes towards the finish. Superb." - Neal Martin, Vinous

J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage “Farconnet” 2019

R995.00 inc. VAT
"The 2019 Hermitage Farconnet comes from a mix of Péléat, Les Doignières, and Les Greffieux, and it was raised in used barrels. It has a classic Northern Rhône bouquet of ripe red and blackberry fruit as well as saddle leather, forest floor, ground pepper, and spring flowers. Needing a short decant, it's medium to full-bodied, has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, those classic Hermitage ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It's already drinking nicely yet has a solid 10-12 years of longevity ahead of it." - Jeb Dunnuck

J.L. Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage “Silène” 2021

R395.00 inc. VAT
100% Syrah sourced from hillside vineyards in Larnage and Gervans. 50% of the blend comes from a parcel of young vines owned by Jean-Louis, which is situated on back, east-facing flank of the Hermitage hill.

J.L. Chave Sélection Saint-Joseph “Offerus” 2021

R494.99 inc. VAT
"Shockingly good given the difficulties in Crozes during the growing season (it rained - a lot), the 2021 Crozes-Hermitage Silene has a pretty, complex, elegant perfume of red berries, spring flowers, cedary herbs, and pepper, with some classic Northern Rhône bacon fat. Nicely textured, medium-bodied, and elegant, with good ripeness, it's a rock-solid, classic, old school-styled Crozes to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years." - Jeb Dunnuck

BLANKbottle Little William 2022

R379.99 inc. VAT
"The wine is named after my chance meeting with a little boy called William on the Witzenberg mountains. It’s been a fascinating story from the start, but became even more bizarre at the end of last year, with another chance meeting. Little William reloaded! In January 2016, I was driving back from a tiny little vineyard in the Koue Bokkeveld (Ceres Plateau). Cruising along at the 100km/h speed limit, I came to a very winding stretch of road leading towards the Witzenberg pass. Suddenly, for a split second, I thought I saw something in the middle of the road. I had just come through a super sharp bend and had to jump on the brakes with both feet. When I finally got my 470 000-km-on-the-clock Toyota to stop, there, on the white line in the middle of the road, stood a little blonde boy. I guessed him around a year and a half old. He was in his nappies and had a white T-shirt on, perfectly camouflaged on the white line. Unsure of what to do once I'd taken him out of the road, I thought it a good plan to prompt him and see which direction he takes off in (with myself of course right behind). About 200 meters further along the road he (we) crossed a little bridge heading towards the other side of the canal. He turned up a dirt road which led to a farmhouse about 300 meters up a hill. Keeping up to his snail-like pace, we arrived at the house more or less 10 minutes later (in my experience with farm dogs, it wouldn’t have been wise to carry him). When the gardener saw us approaching, he called out to a woman at the house and judging by her reaction, she must’ve been his mom and he must’ve been missing for a while. It was a bit of an emotional and chaotic environment so, knowing he was safe, I just turned around and left without introducing myself. So each time I present a tasting with Little William wine as part of the line-up, I get the same question: “Why is it called, Little William?”, followed almost without fail by: “What does the family have to say about you calling a wine, Little William?” My answer is always the same: “I never went back, they don't even know the wine exists. But I am convinced there will be this one day where I’d be sitting at some local bar in Knysna, drinking a beer all by myself when the young guy next to me turns to me and introduces himself as William from Ceres." And I’ll be able to tell him: “Eendag, lank, lank gelede het hierdie oom jou lewe gered!” For 4 years I had the privilege of telling the story of little William. Until last year. When Chapter 2 happened. In November, we took our youngest son for a minor operation at Panorama Mediclinic, Tygerberg, Cape Town. The lady at reception looked at us with a puzzled look on her face. We later learnt that there had been a mistake on the paperwork and they were under the impression that he was an adult. They had subsequently booked him into an adult ward. The man next to him had drunk a cup of coffee at 6:00am that morning with milk in. His operation therefore had to be postponed and he obviously missed his theatre time slot. He had to wait almost the whole day for the next slot. He and Sebastian eventually left for the theatre at more or less the same time. I went to get us a cup of coffee, and as she always does, Aneen started making conversation with the milk-in-the-coffee guy’s wife. On my return Aneen said: ”They are from Ceres, tell her the little William story.” I cringed, thinking: "Why would I do that??" I tried to let her comment slide and filled the awkward silence with useless words. We carried on with the small talk and she ended up telling us that she is a vet and her husband is a farmer. “Where do you farm in Ceres?”, I asked. “In the Witzenberg mountains, on a farm called Blah-blah-blah”, she answered. And, as you’ve probably guessed by now, that was the name of the farm where I dropped little William that morning. It started dawning on me that it might be my Knysna-bar-thing moment happening in a totally bizarre, different way. “Do you have a son called William?” I asked. “No”, she replied, “but my nephew is called William and they live on the same farm, in the house next to the road.” We did the sums and he would’ve been exactly 1 and a half years at the time. So it turns out it wasn't a beer-in-hand pub in Knysna, but a coffee-in-hand hospital in Cape Town. I should've listened to Aneen right from the start... so I told her the whole story and she phoned her sister-in-law. “Did you ever lose William on the farm?” she asked (I don’t think that’s the type of story you volunteer to tell your extended family if not prompted). “Yes”, she said. “There was this one day…” PS: This incident made me think about everyone’s life stories. I’m convinced that these kind of things happen to everyone. The difference is that I just happened to call a wine Little William, and I have a reason to re-tell this story. If I didn’t, I would’ve possibly only re-told the story once or twice, but I can imagine how the finer details could've gotten lost between profit margins and VAT. I have a responsibility to convey the story in an honest and factual way. You know how easily a story gets blurry. So each time I drive the road, I recheck my facts: Where exactly did William stand? Distances? The name of the farm? The story then became part of our story. And that day when the lady mentioned Ceres, the first thing Aneen thought about was the boy in the road." Winemaker's notes

Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée 2021 Magnum

R1,795.00 inc. VAT
Domaine Lionnet 2021 Cornas Terre Brulée 2021 Magnum, "Youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, star anise, olive, violet and tobacco. A smoky mineral accent builds steadily in the glass and energizes the spice-laced, dark berry liqueur, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Clings with strong tenacity on the youthfully tannic finish, leaving behind sappy blue fruit, cracked pepper and mineral notes. " - Josh Raynolds

Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021

R1,100.00 inc. VAT
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021, "Saturated magenta. Vibrant, mineral- and smoke-accented scents of blackberry, cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco and exotic spices, along with a sexy floral component. Fresh and sharply focused on the palate, displaying sappy, finely etched dark berry, floral pastille and spicecake flavors, plus a touch of botanical herbs. Finishes long and gently sweet, with a hint of star anise and firming tannins." - Josh Raynolds,

Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée 2021

R895.00 inc. VAT
Domaine Lionnet 2021 Cornas Terre Brulée 2021, "Youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, star anise, olive, violet and tobacco. A smoky mineral accent builds steadily in the glass and energizes the spice-laced, dark berry liqueur, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Clings with strong tenacity on the youthfully tannic finish, leaving behind sappy blue fruit, cracked pepper and mineral notes. " - Josh Raynolds

Keermont Syrah 2017

R320.00 inc. VAT
"The 2017 Syrah Keermont is a blend of three vineyards, which is blended with 4% Mouvedre and matured in seasoned barrels for 20 months. It has an attractive bouquet with briary, wilted rose petals and strawberry pastilles that opens with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a grainy texture, fine acidity; the 2017 is harmonious with a relatively light but focused finish. Perfect to drink now, but it will also give 12-15 years of drinking pleasure." - Neal Martin, Vinous

Keermont Topside Syrah 2017

R582.00 inc. VAT
Keermont Single Vineyard Series Topside Syrah 2017, "Topside is all made with the 470 clone and hails from a single vineyard with a westerly aspect that sees very little sunshine in the mornings. Denser and firmer than its stablemate Steepside, this a dark, inky, brooding Syrah with fig, damson and Asian spice flavours and lots of stony grip." - Tim Atkin MW

Keermont Steepside Syrah 2017

R582.00 inc. VAT
"The 2017 Syrah Single Vineyard Series Steepside is matured for 20 months in seasoned oak. There is a slight reduction on the nose with dark berry fruit and light violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, well balanced and definitely a more elegant and understated Syrah with long and tender finish. Lovely." - Neal Martin, Vinous

J.L. Chave Sélection Saint-Joseph “Offerus” 2020

R494.99 inc. VAT
100% Syrah with 80% of the fruit coming from Mauves, Tournon and St. Jean – all vineyards owned by Jean-Louis.

Château de Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge 2021

R295.00 inc. VAT
Château de Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge 2021," Louis Barruol’s entry-level bottling is unique because it is 100% Syrah. Deep, dark-fruited and well-structured with attractive spice and floral top notes, the 2021 is a fantastic choice to pair with grilled or braised beef or lamb." - Josh Raynolds, Vinous