Kershaw Wines Clonal Syrah 2017
In 2012, owner Richard Kershaw MW established Richard Kershaw Wines to create clonally selected, site-specific, cool climate wines in the Elgin Valley district of South Africa. The grapes for the Clonal Syrah were handpicked and then manually sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed. The de-stemmed berries fell onto a vibrating table in order to remove jacks and substandard berries before dropping uncrushed into a small 500kg conical hopper and forklifted into open-topped fermenters. The grapes underwent a 3-day maceration before spontaneous fermentation began. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 17-21 days. The wine was then racked to barrel under gravity and the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded in barrel followed by a light sulphuring and 17-month maturation. No finings were necessary and the wine was simply racked and bottled unfiltered. Subtle, precise style built on fine tannins that educe harmony, freshness with flavours of black skinned fruit, iodine and ground white peppercorns.
