Ernie Els Proprietor's Syrah 2014

The Proprietors Syrah 2014 is a hedonistic expression, showing baked plums, bacon-fat and a hint of cinnamon.Sweetly fruited throughout, the mid-palate is elegant and yet powerful offering a contemporary, luxurious style with rich intensity and depth. Notes of peppered salami and goji berries are wound around fruit-laden tannins and well integrated oak. Irresistible now, time will offer more savoury complexity and silky length.

variety : Shiraz [ 95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier ]

winery : Ernie Els Wines

winemaker : Louis Strydom

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.47 % vol rs : 3.4 g/l pH : 3.69 ta : 6.3 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : It will age well for 7 to 10 years.

in the vineyard : The 2014 vintage
Initial vineyard growth was slow due to late cold fronts experienced during August 2013 followed by cool, wet weather at the start of the growing season leading to some challenges. Mid-November created challenging spraying conditions and limited access to the vineyards. As a result, downy mildew led to crop losses early on in the season in some of our red wine areas. Thereafter, favourable climatic conditions improved for flowering and good berry set ensued. The high rainfall in mid-November did however spark vigorous growth which required extra input to ensure superior grape quality and disease prevention through good canopy aeration and sunlight exposure. Widespread rainfall during early January increased pressure on viticulturists to prevent disease and rot. Ideal dry and moderate conditions reigned during ripening in January and mid-February after which a warm period accelerated ripening and resulted in great pressure on harvest intakes. The wine potential looks promising in terms of quality. Moderate weather conditions during the harvest season contributed to intense red wines.

About the vineyard
The Syrah vineyards grow on the warm north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. The Hutton Clovelly soils contain a high gravel content which offers rich middle palate weight giving this wine exceptional depth and fruit purity. The Viognier was sourced from neighbouring Helderberg vineyards and was co-fermented during harvest. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean just 15 kilometres away, this extends the ripening period by up to 3 weeks resulting in lovely phenolic ripeness.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning.
March & April, 2014. 25.5° Brix average sugar at harvest

in the cellar : On the sorting table, all excess stalks and inferior berries were carefully removed. Grape bunches were gently destalked with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. Fermentation took place in 7-ton, open-top stainless steel tanks with yeast WE 372 being added to the juice. The wines were pumped-over and punched-down manually 5 times per day ensuring maximum colour extraction from the skins. After primary fermentation the maceration period was 10 - 16 days before pressing. Each variety is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

Cooperage: Aged for 18 months – 70% in 300 litre French Oak barrels & 30% in 300 litre American Oak Barrels (50% New)
Production: 1 700 x 6 x 750ml cases
Sustainability Initiative: I.P.W. (Integrated Production of Wine) Certified

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