Simonsig Shiraz 2002

Deep Persian carpet red with black centre. Mixed herb aromas with layers of white pepper, violets and dried protea flavours against a backdrop of the subtle, sweet vanilla spiciness of the oak. A full bodied Shiraz with smooth tannins providing a big structure for the complex ripe berry flavours. It lingers on the aftertaste and the slight dry finish makes this wine excellent with food, especially venison.

Potroast, Beef Stroganof, Mature cheddar and Biltong. Delicious with Venison.

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variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : Simonsig Family Vineyards

winemaker : Johan Malan

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 15.1 % vol rs : 3.1 g/l pH : 3.8 ta : 5.2 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle

AWARDS

Veritas 2005 - Bronze

ageing : 8 to 10 years

in the vineyard : In 1993 a new planting program was started for Shiraz and only the best available clones were planted. These clones are all virus treated and come from South Africa, France and Argentina. The 1996 Shiraz is the first wine to include grapes from the new plantings. The new clones ripen earlier with high sugar levels and an abundance of colour. The yields are also higher and green harvest was done during veraison. Shiraz is the most planted grape variety on Simonsig because the terroir is perfectly suited to make excellent quality Shiraz.

The winter before the 2002 harvest was extremely wet with 897 mm of rain measured in 2001. This is about 33% more than the long term average. High rainfall during the growing season created very high disease pressure. Downy mildew destroyed almost 25% of the crop in Stellenbosch, resulting in one of the smallest crops in years. Average temperatures were considerably lower than average. The cool summer was followed by ideal warmer weather in February and March. The red varieties ripened slowly and allowed the tannins to ripen to perfection. The small harvest and ideal ripening conditions produced wines with excellent concentration of fruit and ripe tannins. An excellent vintage for Simonsig.

in the cellar : 17 months oaking. 77% French Oak, 23% American White Oak. 11% 1st fill, 28% 2nd fill, 61% other

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