De Grendel Shiraz 2016

Name: De Grendel Shiraz 2016
Brand: De Grendel
SKU: 42533

Deep ruby purple in colour with a violet meniscus, floral white pepper and enticing nuances of cocoa and mocha on the nose precede concentrated aromas of black cherry and prune with hints of lavender and saddle leather. A delectable entry of sweet black fruit on the palate is enveloped by savoury elegance and chocolaty tannins that develop into a long, floral finish with lingering hints of mulberry. An intensely fruit forward wine of exceptional elegance, sumptuously balancing sweet black fruit with structured chocolaty tannins, and hints of savoury spice.

Exceptionally versatile as a food wine, it would pair excellently with most meats from Springbok to lamb shank and steak. Elegance and spice, however, beckon for tomato based pasta.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : De Grendel Wines

winemaker : Charles Hopkins & Elzette du Preez

wine of origin : Durbanville

analysis : alc : 14.5 % vol rs : 3 g/l pH : 3.46 ta : 5.6 g/l

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

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap

ageing : Although decidedly accessible now, the wine will reward aging for 5 - 8 years by becoming increasingly silky, and as tannins integrate, generous fruit may become slightly fuller and richer in the presence of sweetening spice, while retaining a succulent elegance.

The intense dry heat of the summer months certainly kept the viticulturists on their toes as they nursed the vineyards towards ripening. This resulted in a 30% reduction of crop size at De Grendel, however – although volumes were down, the dryness facilitated surprising benefits in that the bunches were perfectly formed and disease free. Our proximity to the cold Atlantic, excellent foliage management, and the Tygerberg itself shielded the grapes from sunburn, which reduced grape quality in other regions. The resilience of the vines astounds, as they have born for us, fine fruit – smaller and more concentrated, promising excellent quality and depth of fruit in the wines.

in the vineyard : For this vintage, grapes of the highest quality were sourced from selected vineyards in the Paarl and Firgrove areas in order to contribute to the unique characteristics in the wine.
The selected vineyards thrive in a combination of laterite and soil with yellow clay sub layers.

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

in the cellar : The fruit was carefully handpicked in 3 batches, with the first batch ripening in Paarl. It was open tank fermented at De Grendel using the more delicate aerated pump over method to ensure softer tannins, delicate spicy flavours and deep colour. Roughly 2 weeks later, the second and third batches from Firgrove were separately open fermented using the pneumatic punch down method where the fermenting cap was punched down 4 times a day and night to produce more robust tannins with excellent structure and concentration. The 3 portions were then blended and allowed to undergo natural malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being racked 3 times and transferred into oak barrels for 13 months of maturation with 10% in new American oak, 10% in new French oak and the remaining 80% in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels.

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