The Topside Syrah vineyard is situated high up on the West facing midslopes of the Stellenbosch Mountain range (Elevation 350m). It was planted in 2006 on rocky soils consisting of clay shale, sandstone, and granite, weathered from the peaks above. Vines are unirrigated, trellised and run with the contour in a North South direction. The elevation, soil and aspect all contribute to spicy character, racy acidity, and fine-grained tannin structure of this wine. The West facing position on the mountain means that the vineyard only receives direct sunlight later in the morning than a lot of the other vineyards. The soil is therefore cool in the early morning, warming up with the later afternoon sun. Topside vineyard sits on a terrace completely surrounded by pristine mountain fynbos and proteas, with views west to Table Mountain that are simply breathe taking. All grapes used in producing this wine come from our Topside vineyard (1.7Ha). A small parcel of grapes was specifically selected, harvested by hand and vinified separately. Fermentation was carried out by yeast which occur naturally on the grape skins and in the winery. Our red wines spend three to four weeks fermenting and macerating on the skins in small open top tanks with one or two gentle ‘punch-downs’ performed per day. After fermentation, this wine spent 20 months maturing in seasoned 500 litre French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration. Only 1867 bottles and 50 magnums were produced.  

TASTING NOTE

Deep ruby red in colour, the Topside Syrah 2019 has Dark-Sweet cherries and prunes on the nose with dried herbs and sandalwood. Soft and gentle on entry, the palate is dense and firm with an earthy dryness. Ripe red fruit fills the mouth with hints of wild herbs and pepper. The tannins are firm, but supple focussing the wine into a long tight dark fruited finish. Suggested drinking window:  2025-2035  

VINTAGE REPORT

The 2019 vintage was quite a challenging one at Keermont. The yields were very small, but the wines have turned out beautifully. Coming off the back of four very dry years in the Cape, the vines were taking a bit strain. Winter rainfall was just slightly below average. Winter temperatures were moderate and perhaps not cold enough for the vines to break dormancy properly as we experienced quite uneven budding in spring. Spring started off cool and wet so the vines grew well, although the disease pressure was quite high. From that point onwards, the vintage conditions were good with some summer rains and warm temperatures without any major heat spikes. Harvest started on 30 January, but was interrupted by 40mm of rain the following week. This pepped the vines up for the final ripening of the grapes. Grapes were harvested in a very healthy condition although sugar levels were generally lower and acidity varied.  

ANALYSIS

Alc: 14.5 % pH: 3.57 TA: 5.4 g/L RS: 2.7 g/L TSO2: 57 mg/L VA: 0.66 g/L

ACCOLADES

TOPSIDE SYRAH 19: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE TOPSIDE SYRAH 19: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE TOPSIDE SYRAH 18: 97 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 18: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) TOPSIDE SYRAH 18: 90 pts WINE SPECTATOR TOPSIDE SYRAH 17: 5 stars PLATTER GUIDE TOPSIDE SYRAH 17: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 17: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) TOPSIDE SYRAH 17: 90 pts WINE SPECTATOR TOPSIDE SYRAH 16: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 16: 96 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) TOPSIDE SYRAH 16: 95 pts DECANTER TOPSIDE SYRAH 16: 93 pts WINE MAGAZINE TOPSIDE SYRAH 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE TOPSIDE SYRAH 15: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 15: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE TOPSIDE SYRAH 15: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN TOPSIDE SYRAH 14: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) TOPSIDE SYRAH 14: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 14: 5 stars PLATTER GUIDE 2017 TOPSIDE SYRAH 12: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) TOPSIDE SYRAH 12: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) TOPSIDE SYRAH 12: 4½ stars PLATTER GUIDE

Planted in 2005 on the steep mid-slopes of the Helderberg Mountain range, the Steepside Syrah vineyard sits at an elevation of 300m. Vines grow in red clay loam soils with high levels of iron and quartzite originating from the peaks above. The combination of these deep granitic soils and the intensity of the sunshine on the North facing ridge allows the vineyard to produce wines with power and structure, while the spicy herbal aromatics can be attributed to the elevation and the pristine fynbos flora that surround it. All grapes used in producing this wine come from our Steepside 2 Syrah block (1.3Ha). A small parcel of grapes was specifically selected, harvested by hand and vinified separately. Fermentation was carried out by yeast which occur naturally on the grape skins and in the winery. Our red wines spend three to four weeks fermenting and macerating on the skins in small open top tanks with one or two gentle ‘punch-downs’ performed per day. This wine spent 20 months maturing in two seasoned 225L and one 500L French oak barrels before being bottled by hand and only 1148 bottles and 50 magnums were produced.  

TASTING NOTE

Lighter, bright red in colour the Steepside Syrah has expressive sweet red fruit character on the nose with hints of cloves and fynbos. The entry onto the palate is soft and silky with a layered tannin structure coming to the fore. Savoury plum and strawberry fruit flavours are contrasted by a hint of herbs and bell pepper. The delicate flavours and tannin linger into a succulent dry finish. Suggested drinking window 2025-2035  

VINTAGE REPORT

The 2019 vintage was quite a challenging one at Keermont. The yields were very small, but the wines have turned out beautifully. Coming off the back of four very dry years in the Cape, the vines were taking a bit strain. Winter rainfall was just slightly below average. Winter temperatures were moderate and perhaps not cold enough for the vines to break dormancy properly as we experienced quite uneven budding in spring. Spring started off cool and wet so the vines grew well, although the disease pressure was quite high. From that point onwards, the vintage conditions were good with some summer rains and warm temperatures without any major heat spikes. Harvest started on 30 January, but was interrupted by 40mm of rain the following week. This pepped the vines up for the final ripening of the grapes. Grapes were harvested in a very healthy condition although sugar levels were generally lower and acidity varied.  

ANALYSIS

Alc: 14.0 % pH: 3.76 TA: 4.7 g/L RS: 2.7 g/L TSO2: 61 mg/L VA: 0.62 g/L  

ACCOLADES

STEEPSIDE SYRAH 19: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 19: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 18: 88^th place: JAMES SUCKLING TOP 100 SA WINES STEEPSIDE SYRAH 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 18: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 18: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 18: 92 pts WINE SPECTATOR STEEPSIDE SYRAH 17: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 17: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 17: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 17: 92 pts WINE SPECTATOR STEEPSIDE SYRAH 16: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 16: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 16: 96 pts DECANTER STEEPSIDE SYRAH 16: 92 pts WINE MAGAZINE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 15: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 15: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 15: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN STEEPSIDE SYRAH 14: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 14: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 14: 4½ stars PLATTER GUIDE STEEPSIDE SYRAH 12: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 12: TIM ATKIN (MW) – Super Syrah: 70 top New World buys for Rhone Lovers, Decanter Magazine, Sep 2015 STEEPSIDE SYRAH 12: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) STEEPSIDE SYRAH 12: 4½ stars PLATTER GUIDE