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 (10% whole-bunch) in small open top tanks with one or two gentle ‘punch-downs’ performed per day. After fermentation, this wine spent 21 months maturing in seasoned 500 litre French oak barrels before being bottled by hand. Only 1867 bottles and 50 magnums were produced.  

TASTING NOTE

Deep ruby red in colour, the Topside Syrah 2020 has dark plums and cherries on the nose with wildflowers and a hint of white pepper. The palate has a calm intensity: Soft and gentle on entry with vibrant red fruit, elegant tannin structure and great balance. Ripe red fruit fills the mouth with hints of wild herbs and pepper. The tannins are present, but gentle focussing the wine into a long tight and dry finish. Suggested drinking window: 2026-2035  

VINTAGE REPORT

Winter temperatures at the start of the 2020 vintage were moderate with below average rainfall. Fortunately, we had a wet spring which prompted the vines to grow strongly and develop a decent size crop. Early season was marked by fairly erratic temperatures with several heat spikes. These factors made farming quite tough with increased pressure from disease and insects and the vineyard team worked hard to prepare a good-looking crop. Mid-summer temperatures were fairly moderate although we did experience a short heat wave in January. This was followed by a gale force South East wind which hammered the vineyards. This resulted in the grapes ripening quickly and, although we started picking at a fairly normal time, by 10 March we had picked all of the grapes for our wines.  

ANALYSIS

Alc: 15.0 % pH: 3.56 TA: 5.1 g/L RS: 2.3 g/L TSO2: 33 mg/L VA: 0.92 g/L

ACCOLADES

TOPSIDE SYRAH 19: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) 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