Simonsig Merindol Takes Rare Gold at Syrah du Monde

Monday, 23 May, 2016
Simonsig Wine Estate
A single-vineyard Syrah from the Cape‘s cool 2008 vintage made on Simonsig Estate won one of the few Gold medals awarded at this year’s Syrah du Monde competition in France. The Simonsig Merindol Syrah 2008 was among only 35 Gold medal winners out of 374 wines entered by 23 countries at this year’s rendition of the world’s premier competition for Syrah/ Shiraz wines.

Simonsig Cellarmaster Johan Malan said he was pleased, but not surprised, by this sterling performance of an eight-year old wine.

“2008 was truly a fine vintage, one showcasing the ability of Stellenbosch’s red wines to improve with maturity,” he says. “The growing season was cool, resulting in a later harvest date than usual. In the cooler conditions the grapes ripened slowly with tight bunches and small berries, and the warmer weather in the latter part of the season was a blessing for later ripening varieties, like Syrah. Fruit expression was terrific with balanced analyses. This, complemented by the 19 months the wine spent in new French barriques, made for superb aging potential, as the quality of this wine has shown in collecting a Gold medal in this prestigious competition.”

The Merindol Syrah, a wine in Simonsig’s Family Selection range, was made from a vineyard planted in 1996.

The name Merindol is taken from the Malan Coat of Arms and is the French village from where the Malans’ Huguenot forebears originated. The Syrah vineyard from which the Merindol originates is planted on deep red Hutton soil of weathered granite origin. “These soils, along with the Simonsig climate and aspect of the vineyard, make ideal conditions for growing premium red wine grapes,” says Malan. “The high clay percentage has excellent water retention capacity able to sustain the vines during the dry summer months.”

Malan says that the recognition Simonsig achieved at the Syrah du Monde underscores the Stellenbosch region’s ability to produce a diverse range of wines from various grape varieties suited to the unique terroir.

“We are truly blessed with this geography enabling our winemakers to make an array of quality wines able to not only hold their own, but to excel on the world stage,” says Malan. “The competitiveness of the international Syrah/Shiraz category gives our award extra glister, and we accept it with gratitude and pride as an endorsement of South Africa’s winemaking ability.”

The success at the Syrah du Monde follow’s Simonsig’s recent four Gold Medal haul at this year’s Concours Mondial de Bruxelles where the Estate was awarded for the Chardonnay 2015 and three flagship red wines: Merindol Syrah 2012, the Bordeaux blend Tiara 2011 and Frans Malan 2014, the Cape Blend named after the Estate’s founding father.