DeMorgenzon, DMZ Syrah 2020

Description

TASTING NOTE
Deep, purple core. Rich, berry fruit aromas with lots of ripe, red plum and hints of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender, and spring blossoms. The palate displays dark fruit flavours, revealing white pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla spice. Gentle oak integration bodes well for a long and graceful bottle maturation of this wine. 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier.

VINEYARDS
These vineyards are situated on the farm DeMorgenzon in the Stellenboschkloof. Soils are mostly weathered granite which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour. Planted in 2004 the trellised vineyard is managed to ensure natural high acidity and full flavour concentration.

VINTAGE
On the back of a cold and wet winter, the 2020 growing season began very early, with homogenous budburst and even shoot growth. Summer was relatively mild, without the heatwaves often experienced in the Cape. The resultant crop retained high levels of natural acidity and abundant concentration of flavour. Particularly exceptional are the white wines of 2020, whilst the reds display early promise thanks to intense colour and tannin concentration.

VINIFICATION AND MATURATION
Grapes were hand-harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks, allowing for a small percentage of whole bunches. Spontaneous fermentation followed, with temperatures ranging between 22°C and 27°C, and the use of gentle punch-downs to extract colour and tannin from the skins. With the completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to small French oak barrels, 3000L foudres and cement tanks where it matured for 12 months before bottling.

ANALYSIS
Winemaker: Carl van der Merwe
Appellation: Stellenbosch
Alcohol content: 14.6 %
Acidity: 4.6 g/l
pH: 3.75
RS: 2.4 g/l

Additional information

Beef, Lamb, Venison or Poultry