TASTING NOTE
Keermont Syrah 2019 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 opens up with vibrant flavours cherry and raspberry complimented by savoury spice and a vanilla note. A soft, but tight tannin structure and good natural acid keep the flavours focussed into a tidy succulent finish. Drink 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.BLOCKS
|
BLOCK |
VARIETY |
PLANTED |
YIELD |
% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Steepside |
Syrah |
2005 |
1.3ton/Ha |
20% |
|
Steepside |
Syrah |
2009 |
1.2 ton/Ha |
20% |
|
Topside |
Syrah |
2006 |
2.8 ton/Ha |
40% |
|
Sweetwater |
Syrah |
2006 |
5.4ton/Ha |
20% |
The Many Hands Syrah is a collaboration with our dedicated vineyard and cellar team - from planting the vines, to production, to bottling and labelling. Many hands working together.
The grapes for this wine were selected and vinified, by Shane De Vries, the team lead. The Many Hands are Asanda, Bonga, Cecil, Farieda, Lizzie, Matt and Simon.
Small parcels of grapes from the Sweetwater block were specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process was carried out gently and naturally in open top wooden. 50% of the fruit was fermented ‘whole bunch’. This wine spent 11 months maturing in a seasoned 300 Litre French oak barrel before being bottled by hand. We produced 399 bottles.


