Stellenzicht Syrah 2003

Colour: Dark red with purple edges.
Nose: Ripe plums with dark chocolate and pepper followed by spicy oak aromas.
Palate: Rich and full with abundant flavours, a background of spice and a good tannin structure.

The full-bodied character of this wine makes it a great partner to rich oxtail stews, smoked Kudu sirloin and firm, grilled game fish - and even chocolate deserts. This is a wine for special friends and occasions.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]
winemaker : Guy Webber
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 15.67 % vol  rs : 3.4 g/l  pH : 3.49  ta : 6.01 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : It would be a travesty to expect this wine to show its best characters before it reaches at least 5 years of age. While its elegance enables early tastings, its structure demands maturity in order to fully show all its complexities and delights. Full enjoyment should be reached by 6- to 8-years while the wine will continue to develop to at least 12 years.

in the vineyard : Background
Flanked by the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain, between Stellenbosch and the False Bay coast, lies an exceptional tract of land that benefits from terroirs eminently suited to the cultivation of the highest quality wine grapes. This jewel in the crown of the magnificent Stellenbosch wine-growing region is known as the Golden Triangle. At its core lies Stellenzicht.

The award-winning Stellenzicht range reserves its Golden Triangle label for those wines which most eloquently demonstrate the unique terroir of this special part of the Helderberg, home to some of South Africa's most exceptional wines.

Vineyard Location
Planted in 1989, the single vineyard producing the grapes used for this wine grows on slopes facing west and north-west and in soils originating from decomposed granite. This vineyard block, Block 242, is affectionately know as "Plum Pudding Hill" as it consistently produces extremely high quality fruit and ripe wines. The vines are all grafted onto nematode-resistant 101-14 rootstocks and are trellised on six-wire "fence" systems. When needed, the vines receive supplementary overhead irrigations to limit the amount of moisture-stress they are subjected to. The yield from the vineyard was restricted to 4.63 tons/ha to further enhance the quality of the fruit.
Viticulturist: Eben Archer 

about the harvest: All of the grapes for this wine were harvested by hand and reached the winery at an average of 25.9° Balling.

in the cellar : After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented in two separate batches in stainless steel tanks with differing pure yeast cultures (NT112 and N96) with the juice being removed from the skins after 5 days. Fermentation temperatures of both batches peaked at around 28° C with both batches completing their fermentations in 300 litre oak barrels. After the completion of the malolactic fermentations, all the barrels were topped up and received "battonage" twice before being allowed to mature for a total of nineteen months.

The make-up of the different barrels used comprised 77% new French oak, 18% new American oak and 5% new Hungarian oak

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OTHER VINTAGES

Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz