Terroir-istes Local - Syrah, West Coast-ish

A focus on Syrah's from up the West coast of South Africa that includes Franschhoek, Tulbagh, Cederberg and Constantia

• 2015 Eagles' Nest Shiraz 92 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  (Tasted Blind): A soft entry with sticky cranberry, blackcurrant, spice and loads of pepper. All very intense yet quite simplistic with a rich, juicy texture and firm tannins. It has a Chilean-like expressiveness or brightness, some elegance with a clean, lively acidity and length. Very correct, accommodating almost yet not as compelling as expected.

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• 2016 Groot Constantia Shiraz 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  (Tasted Blind): Mid to deep ruby. Very ripe, stickier fruit towards jujube fruits, pomace, oak spices, smoke and raspberry jelly powder.
  There is plenty of extract on the palate that seems forced and quite hot with protruding alcohol, yet there are some juicy fruits to coat the granular tannins and concentration. Flavours of plum, dried black olive, roasted meat, button mushroom, tobacco and worn leather.
  The wine evolves in the glass, becoming juicier with leathery notes, dried orange peel, ruby grapefruit, and some mineral notes. However, it also seems to get hotter with a chilli spice thjat lead to a lightly bitter finish.

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• 2015 La Motte Pierneef Collection Syrah-Viognier 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-ruby to crimson colour.
  A light, ethereal nose—more like a white wine! Some smoke and hints of fresh rubber detract, but with time in the glass, the aroma moves to button mushrooms, fresh herbs, tonato box, white pepper, and black fruit.
  The palate feels svelte and ripe, with a hot chili spice note. Noticeable extraction, this full-bodied wine has plenty of substance, muscle, and heft (certainly not elegant) and leaves medium long, carrying a bitter note. Closes with that Barossa shiraz-like jujube fruit and tomato leaf. Has a lively acid and the tannins are fine-grained.

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• 2013 Ormonde Shiraz 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Darling

  (Tasted Blind): Mid+ ruby colour. Ripe blue fruits with roasted meat and liquorice, reminiscent of Rhone-style wines, greet the nose—some development.
  This is a silky entry to an open-palate entry. Good extraction gives a firm tannic structure that pulls slightly on the gums but is not overly done. Sweet fruit is evident, pushing it more back to Shiraz, confirmed by flavours of cough syrup, Lemsip drops, and Tunes. Meanwhile, some complexity adds summer pudding, prune, earthiness, leather, and vanilla, all bound by a lively acidity. The oak is nicely integrated.

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• 2014 Fable Mountain Vineyards Syrah 88 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Tulbagh

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-crimson colour. A light, frothy nose with plenty of fruit from red to black: cranberry, raspberry, boysenberry, blackcurrant, forest cinnamon, sour green plum, pepper, tobacco, and a stemmy whole bunch gives it a little freshness.
  It's a sweet, sticky palate entry—quite Shiraz-like—with grippy, gravelly tannins, lively acidity, and some glycerol generosity. Whilst it has judicious oaking, there was a pomace, grappa quality leading to a bitter black cherry, assam tea quality that felt itchy. As the wine unwound, it became more angular, harsh, and rather unaccommodating.
  15% whole bunch, 24 months in barrel, 25% new.

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• 2015 Saronsberg Shiraz 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Tulbagh

  Mid to deep ruby colour.
  Expressive blackberry, blackcurrant and sweet spices. A ripe, smooth entry this is a full-bodied wine with a silky texture, warm, generous alcohol packed with plenty of black fruits mostly, some red cherry, dark chocolate towards mocha and spice with a hint of mineral/graphite that gives some freshness and a lively juicy acidity. Powerful, extracted wine, mouth-coating with furry tannins. This is a well-crafted example with a nod to Barossa.

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• 2015 Saronsberg Cape Winemakers Guild Shiraz Reserve 92 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Tulbagh

  (Tasted Blind): Mid+ to deep ruby colour.
  Intense aromas with plenty of blackberry, blackcurrant, mocha and baking spice accented by a hibiscus/sour cherry tea infusion.
  A ripe, smooth entry with a super silky texture, this full-bodied wine shows a wealth of fruit, with a warm, rather generous blanket of glycerol giving it furry, mouth-coating tannins. A big, more powerful extracted style, this felt quite Barossa-like. Well-made there is plenty of dark fruits, chocolate, spices and coffee grinds. Excellent use of wood.

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• 2016 Driehoek Shiraz 86 Points

  South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-ruby crimson colour.
  There is a touch of evolution, almost a soapy quality with a faint diesel oil/ diesel rag quality that didn't hold promise. However, the wine slowly reveals red fruits with jujube, mulberries, and sweet cinnamon spice, as well as a pomace/grappa quality.
  The palate has a grippy and rather extracted profile ,with firm, chewy tannins giving the wine a warm, humid, and generous feel. Old-school, there is a slight juiciness with dried orange, liquorice, fennel, and smoky flavour, but overall, there is nothing to write home about.

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• 2015 Cederberg Shiraz 89 Points

  South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg

  (Tasted Blind) : Deep-ruby colour. There are some rubbery notes at first before damson plum, fir, ripe tomato, and liquorice come to the fore. Full-bodied with an old-school power and richness, the wine is generous and spiky hot (chilli spice), with a chewy texture and a big, bold that feels rather ponderous and hot. It is well-made but powerful, suited like armour yet lacking in grace. Flavours of liquorice, nutmeg, tomato purée, and fruit cake dominate.

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• 2012 Cederberg Shiraz Cape Winemakers Guild Teen die Hoog 94 Points

  South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg

  (Tasted Blind): Deep-ruby colour. Fragrant, lifted bouquet of blackberry, violet, chocolate, dusting of pepper, liquorice, and cinnamon. A vibrant, floral-edged palate entry with fresh acidity, poise, and a silky to velvety texture with tremendous palate concentration, which follows through to fabulous length and sinewy tannins. Very harmonious, the wine is complex with many flavour layers, from mulberry, prune, blackcurrant and damsons to exotic fruit, liquorice, sweet spice and flickers of oak (coffee grinds). A sumptuous wine that should age brilliantly.
  This is made from a selection of the three best barrels of Shiraz. 2012 was a smaller vintage with cooler temperatures during ripening, leading to longer hanging time and beautiful fruit intensity and concentration. TA 5.8 g/l, pH 3.4, RS 3.1 g/l.

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• 2015 Cederberg Shiraz Cape Winemakers Guild Teen die Hoog 92 Points

  South Africa, Western Cape, Cederberg

  (Tasted Blind) : Deep-ruby colour.
  Aromas of ripe blackcurrant, blackberry jam, black leaf tea, violets and hints of liquorice.
  Youthful, full-bodied with a rich texture and reasonably extracted structure, making the wine feel slightly forced. There is a noticeable glycerol heat and medium acidity - less than the previous wine.
  However, this muscular wine is complex with secondary notes of dark chocolate, raisin, coffee and vanilla pod blended with plenty of dark blackberry and currant fruit, Orange pekoe tea and some hung game all making for a better wine as it opened up feeling more crushed velvety than firm as the glycerol sweetened the back palate. Led to a long finish and given the structure potential for further development.

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