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Lourens Family Wines

2021

‘Howard John’

Red Blend   |   Swartland - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

Franco’s father (Howard John) gave the seed money gift and the unwavering support that would ultimately become Lourens Family Wines and Franco knew his first wine already had a name and label.  The 2020 edition of Howard John was the first made in the new shed that Franco shares with Lukas Van Loggerenberg, and 2021 continued as such.  The new space afforded Franco the ability to really take his time with ferments and bring fruit in at different times.  The vineyards are all dry-farmed bushvine sites in the Swartland. The Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah are from the Eikelaan, Fairview, and Uitvlught farms, respectively.

The grapes were all hand-picked and sorted before spontaneous fermentation took place in open top fermenters. The Grenache was fermented with 25% stems, the Cinsault was 100% de-stemmed, and the Syrah was 100% with stems. Gentle hand plunging during the first week and foot stomping the second week was the extent of the extraction methods and after a total of 10-14 days on skins the lots were pressed to old French tonneau for aging. Following ten months of maturation the barrels were racked to tank and the wine settled naturally.  It was bottled without fining and just a coarse filtration and a small sulfur addition.

Stats

  • Grapes: 50% Grenache Noir - 30% Cinsault - 20% Syrah
  • Vineyard: Single bushvine sites in Swartland: Eikelaan (Grenache Noir) - Fairview (Cinsault) - Uitvlught (Syrah)
  • Vine Age: Grenache (6-years-old) - Syrah (23-years-old) - Cinsault (27-years-old)
  • Soil Type: Eroded granite (Grenache & Syrah) – granitic sand & ironstone marl (Cinsault)
  • Viticulture: Practicing organic – dry-farmed
  • Fermentation: Native – stainless steel (Grenache 25% whole-cluster – Syrah 100% de-stemmed – Cinsault 100% whole-cluster)
  • Skin Contact: 10-14 days
  • Aging: 10 months in neutral 300L and 500L barrels
  • Alcohol: 13%
  • pH: 3.6
  • Total Acidity: 5.7 g/L
  • Total SO2: 44 ppm
  • Total Production: 466 cases
  • UPC: 6009879885958

Tasting Note

Translucent crimson with ruby hues. The nose has complex aromas of raspberries, red cherries, fresh anise, and underlying proteas and roses. There is so much freshness to this wine. The palate is ample, but by no means heavy with bright acidity, crunchy tannins and a stony, petrichor-ish minerality. A briny olive note peers on toward the lengthy and firm tannin finish.

Press & Reviews

The WineMag

95

"50% Grenache Noir (25% whole-bunch fermented), 30% Cinsault and 20% Syrah (100% whole-bunch fermented), all grapes sourced from the Swartland. Enticing aromatics of red berries, floral perfume, herbs and spice while the palate is wonderfully energetic – pure fruit, really bright acidity and powdery tannins, the finish having a saline quality. This is nicely weighted with an alcohol of 13% – not too slight but still elegant."

- Christian Eedes

Tim Atkin, MW

93

"Named after Franco Lourens' dad, whose image features on the label, Howard John is a Swartland assemblage of Grenache with 30% Cinsault and 15% Syrah, sourced from a combination of granite and iron-rich clay soils. Fermented with 25% whole clusters, it has some stony reduction, pomegranate and goji berry flavours and sinewy tannins."

- Tim Atkin, MW

Platter's Guide

93

"Quietly confident southern Rhône-style blend from grenache noir with cinsaut & syrah, natural ferment & only older oak, as all the wines. Swartland dryland bushvines deliver soft red cherry & strawberry fruit, refreshing grape tannin lift in 2021."

- Cathy van Zyl
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Producer


Lourens Family Wines

Region


Swartland

Country


South Africa

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