La Motte Syrah 2020

ageing : The wine promises exceptional maturation and it will continue to develop beautifully for the next 15 years.

La Motte Syrah red wine is a true expression of its Franschhoek terroir where micro-climates from the mountain slopes and valley floors add complexity to the wine’s elegant character. Syrah wine from Franschhoek contains a natural fruitiness that includes red berries and mulberry, while a small percentage Durif provides colour, plum fruit and texture.

The Syrah vineyards at La Motte Wine Estate are between 10 and 30 years old and are spread over different blocks with varying soil profiles. The vineyard blocks are situated between 200 and 300 meters above sea level. The soil is of sandstone and granite origin and varies from a heavier texture along the slopes to a sandy, well-drained texture in the valley. All the vineyards are trellised. Different clones and microclimates on the estate lend varying characteristics to the wine.

Due to Covid, the bottling for this vintage was delayed, and the wine spent 24 months in the barrel, compared to the usual 14-month barrel maturation period for this wine. The meticulous selection and additional barrel maturation resulted in a wine with exceptional depth and complexity. A beautiful balance of oak and fruit sees the intense blackberry fruit complemented by cigar and coffee flavours as well as prominent nutmeg and aniseed. The palate is quite restrained with finesse on the finish. The 2020 La Motte Syrah promises exceptional maturation and even more complexity over the next 15 years.

Grapes were picked ripe, but still firm. They were cooled overnight, before 100% de-stemming and the whole berries were placed into stainless steel tanks. Selected yeast were added immediately and fermentation was at between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius. Tanks were pumped over twice daily, with good aeration. To promote elegance and soft extraction, most of the tanks were pressed before fermentation had been completed.