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Lelie Van Saron

2019

Syrah

Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

The third release of Syrah builds on the excellence of the 2017 and 2018 but with more restraint and higher tones. The DeBos Vineyard is again the source and lies just on the north side of the dam for which it is named at the base of the Babylonstoren Mountains. The small block that makes this wine is a south/southwest facing slope at roughly 400-550 feet in elevation with the vines planted between fields of fynbos and in very close proximity to the sea. The Syrah block sits just below the Chardonnay block and has more of a sandy, granitic soil with rocky outcrops of pure granite. The vintage as a whole promoted earlier picking and a bit less stem inclusion in order to not mask the beautiful, cool-climate Syrah notes.

The three clones were selected based on stem ripeness, fruit quality and bunch size. The grapes were hand-harvested and placed in an open top stainless-steel tanks with roughly a fifth of the bunches left intact and the rest being destemmed but not crushed, placed atop the whole-clusters. Occasional foot stomping and a few light pumpovers got the fermentation going and after two weeks the wine went dry. The wine stayed on skins for an additional week prior to being basket pressed to a single olf French tonneau and demi-muid. After 12 months of aging with a small addition of sulfur in the spring, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration and just a small addition of sulfur.

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Syrah
  • Vineyard: DeBos Vineyard
  • Vine Age: 9-13-years-old
  • Soil Type: Weathered granite
  • Viticulture: Sustainable (no herbicides or pesticides) – dry-farmed
  • Fermentation: Native – stainless-steel (20% whole-cluster/80% whole-berry)
  • Skin Contact: 3 weeks
  • Aging: 12 months in a single neutral French 300L tonneau and 500L demi-muid
  • Alcohol: 13.15%
  • pH: 3.38
  • Total Acidity: 6 g/L
  • Total SO2: 84 ppm
  • Total Production: 66 cases
  • UPC: 6009820030482

Tasting Note

Seductive. Marvelous profusion of flavors & aromas, from cassis & black cherries through violets & rose petals to herbs & pepper, encased in a fine tannin lattice. Outstanding complexity & structure at moderate alcohol.

Press & Reviews

Platter's Guide

90

"Sleek & silky, 2019 has maraschino cherry fruit with floral threads, bold tobacco spicing. Well-judged weight & supple tannins show deft but restrained hand, with emphasis on balance. Year in older barriques."
- Greg de Bruyn
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Producer


Lelie Van Saron

Region


Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Country


South Africa

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