Porseleinberg Syrah 2022
Only the finest Syrah, from the organically-farmed vineyard, is used in Porseleinberg’s single iconic wine. The wine is fermented with 100% whole clusters using only natural yeasts and takes place in concrete vats before ageing in a combination of foudres and concrete eggs with no new wood intervention. The resulting wine is wild, savory, and tannic but ethereal, and it regularly draws comparisons with top Northern Rhône wines, especially Cornas. It certainly has earned its stature as one of South Africa’s most distinctive and sought after wines, as evidenced by consistent critical acclaim. ‘Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a “crazy year”, with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januaries ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site. 2025-40’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2024, 99/100
