2020 Porseleinberg

My three-vintage vertical starts with the Porseleinberg 2020 Swartland Syrah. This was a challenging vintage, and although the wines are generally more subdued in terms of aromas, they do offer great structure. However, they tend not to have the complexity and nuance of the cooler 2021, for example. This wine is ultimately more accessible, with sweet earth and a floral note of rose or lilac. The vintage saw no big weather drama or drought. As the wine opens in the glass, you get a botanical note of dried herb and rosemary and a mineral note that reminds me of shiny mica stone. Indeed, winemaker Callie Louw tells me that those mineral tones and the tannins reflect the Kaolin clay, the same clay used to make porcelain found in these parts (and after which this winery gets its name).

The 2020 Porseleinberg was a hot and dry season that saw 355mm of rain that moistened the soil sufficiently that, together with smooth flowering, saw larger bunches. The harvest was one of the quickest ever (February 5-19). Matured for 12 months in foudres and concrete eggs, it has a beautifully defined bouquet with a mélange of red and black fruit, wild fennel, leather and light orange rind scents that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, very harmonious, veering more toward red fruit intermixed with black pepper, clove, tobacco and allspice. Filigree on the finish, this might be the most elegant Porseleinberg to date, yet there is such finesse that you are utterly seduced. A long and prosperous future ahead.

100% Syrah. Average age of vines at this point was seven years due to vineyard expansion. The post-2019 harvest was hot and dry, with below-average rainfall (355 mm). The vineyards experienced some relief with good rain in October and December and an inch recorded in January, saving the vintage. Sufficient moisture in the soil during flowering and fruit set resulted in bigger bunches and berries. The growing conditions were clean, with a minor threat of downy mildew during an unusually wet December. The 2020 Porseleinberg harvest was one of the quickest and earliest to date. After the January rainfall, warm sunny conditions contributed to healthy, strong canopies, which aided an early veraison and berry ripening. We started picking on 5 February and finished by the 19th. Grapes were hand-picked and crushed as whole bunches into concrete fermentation tanks with the cap submerged. Minimal pumpovers were performed with the submerged cap, and the ferments ran cool and dry within ten days. Maturation took place over 12 months in 90% foudre and 10% concrete egg. Bottled mid July 2021. TA 5 g/l, pH 4, RS 2.1 g/l. Dark garnet. Not intense but lively, with sweetness and saltiness. Round and charming. Fine tannins. (JR)