Keermont Syrah 2018

KEERMONT SYRAH is a blend of three different Syrah vineyard sites growing on Keermont Vineyards:

Steepside Syrah: Growing on a North facing slope in deep, red clay-rich soils; this vineyard generally produces softer full bodied wines with rich, spicy flavours.

Topside Syrah: An unirrigated west facing vineyard planted at 400m above sea level on rocky sandstone-based soil. Topside Syrah is usually an aromatic wine with a solid structure and high natural acid.

Sweetwater Syrah: Situated in a rocky valley below the Fleurfontein spring, this is the coolest of the three Syrah sites and ripens the latest. Sweetwater Syrah is normally lighter and elegant in style with a herbal aroma. We add a small percentage of Mourvedre to this to bring some extra tannin structure and complexity.

Vinification:
All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Small parcels of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand, and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently and naturally in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 20 months maturing in seasoned 500 and 225 litre French oak barrels before being bottled by hand on 27 November 2019. We produced 13074 bottles and 98 magnums.

TASTING NOTE

Keermont Syrah 2018 has a bright blood red colour with a lighter hue. The bouquet is enticing with strawberries and other red fruit and notes of sandal wood, tea leaf, cloves, and orange rind. The wine has a gentle entry onto the palate. It exudes vibrant flavours of cherry and raspberry, complimented by savoury spice, and a vanilla note. A soft, but tight tannin structure and good natural acidity keep the flavours focused into a tidy succulent finish. Drink 2023-2033.

VINTAGE REPORT

Despite prevailing drought conditions, 2018 was a very good growing season on Keermont. We had a fairly cold winter although it was drier than usual. Spring arrived quite early and the warm weather ensured an even budburst. We had some good rain showers during the season which allowed for the vines to grow sufficiently. These factors led to the formation of a healthy crop which ripened evenly. We had very notable diurnal temperature variation during this season (warm days and cool nights) which is responsible for good tannin, colour, and flavour development. Harvest started at the beginning of February and ran very smoothly. We processed 87 tons (13 varieties) in the Keermont winery over the period of seven weeks.

BLOCKS

ANALYSIS

Alc: 14.0 %
pH: 3.66
TA: 5.2 g/L
RS: 1.8 g/L
TSO2: 51 mg/L
VA: 0.72 g/L

ACCOLADES

SYRAH 19: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE
SYRAH 18: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 18: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous)
SYRAH 17: 91 WINE SPECTATOR
SYRAH 17: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE
SYRAH 17: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 17: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous)
SYRAH 16: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 16: 92 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE
SYRAH 15: 91 pts WINE MAGAZINE
SYRAH 15: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 15: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE
SYRAH 15: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 14: 4 stars PLATTER’S GUIDE
SYRAH 14: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 14: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 13: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 13: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE
SYRAH 12: 95 pts (5 stars) DECANTER MAGAZINE
SYRAH 12: 17 pts JANCIS ROBINSON
SYRAH 12: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 12: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW)
SYRAH 12: MATTHEW JUKES WoW in Money week:”my top red wine from the recent South African expo ….””the greatest South African sensory experiences of my year “-  21 November 2014
SYRAH 12: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE
SYRAH 11: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 10: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 10: 92pts JAMES MOLESWORTH (Wine Spectator)
SYRAH 10: 19/20 RENÉ GABRIEL
SYRAH 10: 92pts PETER MOSER (Falstaff)
SYRAH 10: 17.5pts JULIA HARDING (MW) (Jancis Robinson)
SYRAH 09: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)
SYRAH 09: 91pts JAMES MOLESWORTH (Wine Spectator)
SYRAH 09: 94pts PETER MOSER (Falstaff)