De Grendel Shiraz 2014

An elegant but powerful Shiraz, sourced from vineyard sites in Firgrove and Paarl and shaped by the De Grendel cellar’s characteristic finesse and clean perfume. Violets and pepper weave through wild black berries and spice with subtle oak support from élevage in a combination of French and American oak, partially new. We suggest that you decant this wine or, patience allowed, rest it for a few more years in the cellar.

Very versatile - from steaks, roasts and lamb shank to Springbok and sausage. Loves tomato-based sauces.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]
winery : De Grendel Wines
winemaker : Charles Hopkins & Elzette du Preez
wine of origin : Durbanville
analysis : alc : 14.5 % vol  rs : 2.8 g/l  pH : 3.48  ta : 6.1 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Herbaceous   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Screwcap  

ageing : 10 years

in the vineyard : The De Grendel vineyards are situated 7 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, growing on slopes 200 meters above sea level. The vines are 10 to 12 years old and yield crops of 7-9 tons per hectare (off 2300 vines). A portion of the fruit for our Shiraz are bought in.

Soil type: Glenrosa

Vintage
The 2014 growing season will be remembered for consecutive rain showers around every fortnight. Due to this good water reserve in the soil the growth was quite substantial, which in return was responsible for the extra work in the vineyards in the form of leaf and shoot plugging. The 2014 crop was on average 20% higher in the Coastal region due to the good rain showers and a lack of wind in the flowering period. From veraison onwards it was a normal ripening year with short heat spikes, but luckily due to our proximity to the ocean playing a moderate role, it ended up being a well-balanced vintage.

about the harvest: The fruit was handpicked in mid March.

in the cellar : With vinification consisting of two separate methods of open tank fermentation: one method is a “softer” approach with aerated pump overs, ensuring deep colour, softer tannins and spicy flavours.

The remaining fruit was picked 2-3 days later and vinified using a pneumatic punch down. The fermenting cap was punched down four times a day, resulting in more robust tannins as well as excellent structure and concentration. The product was blended and put through natural malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Three rackings took place.
The wine was matured in 1/3 new American Oak, 1/3 new French Oak and 1/3 in 2nd and 3rd fill French Oak barrels for 13 months.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz