False Bay Shiraz 2013

ageing : 

Drink within 2 years.

Vineyards
In recent years, Shiraz has been seen by many as embodying the future for South African wine at the highest level. However, one general deficiency is the lack of good texture and a tendency toward solid wines without much elegance. We believe it should not be all about the big, gutsy wine that many see as characteristic of Shiraz. Specifically, we were looking for vineyard sites that could produce wines with notable elegance and freshness, allied to a fine texture. Although there will always be those who prefer Barossa brawn to Northern Rhône refinement, this was not what we set out to achieve.

The grapes are sourced in the Swartland and Stellenbosch regions. Deep red soils provide moisture and nutrients, which gives the Shiraz its supple, spicy characters.

The 2010/11 Growing Season
It was a year characterized by huge climatic differences, which resulted in a small crop with lots of concentration. Low winter rainfall and a very dry summer played a major role in the smaller crop. The start of the growing season was cool with lots of wind, which led to uneven flowering. Winds were particularly strong during December and the windy conditions prevailed until mid-February. Harvest started 6 - 10 days earlier than normal due to these dry, windy conditions. The harvest period was also very compact, due to the dry conditions and small crop.

Harvest took place at a sugar level of 24,5° Balling.

After de-stemming, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was allowed to start without the addition of cultured yeast. The skins and juice were mixed through a combination of delestage and pump overs. Towards the end of fermentation, the number of pump-overs was reduced to ensure that no harsh, dry tannins were extracted. Fermentation took place at temperatures of 26 to 30 degrees Celsius at the height of fermentation. The wine was drained from the skins after fermentation was completed. No press juice was added to the wine. Our Shiraz wines are aged in large wooden vats for at least 6 months before bottling.