PORSELEINBERG 2022
| Grape: | 100% Syrah |
| Vineyard: | Porseleinberg |
| Origin: | Swartland, South Africa |
| Vintage: | 2022 |
| ABV%: | 13.3% |
| Colour: | Deep red |
| Aromas: | The nose is a complex bouquet of rich dark fruits, featuring blackberries and plums, layered with hints of ripe cherries. Subtle herbal notes of thyme and rosemary add depth. |
| Flavours: | Full-bodied and well-structured, showcasing a harmonious balance between fruit and acidity. Juicy red and black fruits accompanied by velvety tannins and a long finish. |
Winemaking Highlights
First year since 2015 that we had more than average rainfall, 477mm. Good rains throughout the growing season resulted in very good berry set, slightly bigger bunches and a solid yield for the upcoming season. Some downey events and sustained powdery mildew pressure with the rains kept us on our toes.
Cool wet growing conditions gave way to a very hot start to vintage and continued heat waves really put pressure on the ripening crop and resulted in a very drawn out growing season.
Grapes struggled to get sugars and turned out to be the longest harvest yet. We started on the 14th of Feb and the last grapes picked was on the 10th of March. Final wine only has an alcohol of 13.3%, lowest yet.
70% submerged cap ferments and 30% conventional whole bunch ferments ran cool and dry in 10 days. Maturation took place over 12 months in 90% foudre 10% concrete. Bottled July 2023.
Reviews
Tim Atkin MW - 99 points
Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a "crazy year", with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januarys ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site.
2025-40
Neal Martin- 96 points
The 2022 Porseleinberg was macerated with about 70% submerged cap and 30% pump-over. It was matured 85% in foudres and 15% in concrete vats for 12 months, then an additional six months in bottle. It presents a deep ruby color. The bouquet takes time to open in the glass, revealing blackberry and touches of cassis, crushed violets and a judicious dash of balsamic. There’s wonderful delineation, but it opens very, very slowly. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, more structured than the 2021. White-pepper-tinged red fruit mixes with subtle menthol notes on the peacock's tail of a finish. Winemaker Callie Louw describes this as a mixture of old and recent Porseleinberg, and I can see that. It’s a spellbinding Syrah that will require five or six years in bottle, but it will certainly be worth the wait.
- By Neal Martin on August 2024
Victoria Mason MW – Club Oenologique
97 points
The first winter with above average rainfall since 2015 (477mm), with precipitation well spread out. This ‘phenomenal and cool’ winter was followed by a very hot January that shocked the vines. The crop struggled to accumulate sugar and Louw and the team were able to pick slowly. This is the lowest-alcohol Porseleinberg bottled to date. A little shy at first but opening up to reveal gorgeously spicy fennel salami, dried bay leaf and rosemary notes, moving from a ferrous character to violet-infused perfume with time in glass. The fruit profile starts in the red spectrum – tangy red cherry and raspberry, with a citrussy, pink-grapefruit tang – and moves towards wild blueberries. It demonstrates a wonderful peppery tension on the mid-palate and fine-grained, mouth-coating tannins. A linear, tightly-packed Porseleinberg – lithe and slender with tonnes of energy, and with that signature stony grip on the finish.