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Ernie Els Proprietor's Syrah 2013 - SOLD OUT

The 2013 Proprietor’s Syrah illuminates with a shining black core and an intense purple edge. The nose is especially exuberant offering Asian spice, cured meat and juicy wild berry notes. The palate opens to an inky depth, coated by lush, powerful and yet classically savoury tannins. Shards of dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts on the finish give an impressive sense of luxury. Refined oak support will help knit the slightly rustic and primary fruit structure. This is a brooding, complex Syrah that will be best with a few years maturity and will age well for a decade.

variety : Shiraz [ 95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier ]

winery : Ernie Els Wines

winemaker : Louis Strydom

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.34 % vol rs : 4.7 g/l pH : 3.55 ta : 5.7 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

ageing : Impressive now, expect 3 - 5 years to add more complexity and fine balance.

in the vineyard : The 2013 vintage
The 2013 harvest season started a week later than usual. Prolonged winter conditions continued in some areas up until September, followed by a cool spring which delayed bud burst by 7 to 14 days. The cold, wet weather conditions ensured even bud burst as well as the accumulation of water supplies that would allow the vineyards to cope with the warmer conditions later in the season. The vineyards had good growth in ideal dry weather conditions during the flowering and berry-set periods although this also occurred later than usual. Early cultivars ripened later but an extremely dry and warm December resulted in the late cultivars ripening as normal. Ideal weather conditions during the harvest season prevailed with moderate day-time temperatures, cool evenings and no prolonged spells of rain or heat waves; this all impacted positively on grape quality and established good colour and flavour. It was also a particularly healthy year and diseases, pests and rot only occurred later in the season, while the warm and dry weather conditions together with effective disease and pest control resulted in minimal losses.

About the vineyard
The Syrah vineyards grow on the warm north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. The Hutton Clovelly soils contain a high gravel content which offers rich middle palate weight giving this wine exceptional depth and fruit purity. The Viognier was sourced from neighbouring Helderberg vineyards and was co-fermented during harvest. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean just 15 kilometres away, this extends the ripening period by up to 3 weeks resulting in lovely phenolic ripeness.

about the harvest: March & April, 2013. 25.2° Brix average sugar at harvest. The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning.

in the cellar : Grape bunches were gently destalked with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. On the sorting table, all excess stalks and rotten berries were removed carefully by hand. Fermentation took place in 7-ton, open-top stainless steel tanks with yeast WE 372 being added to the juice. The wines were pumped-over and punched-down manually 5 times per day ensuring maximum colour extraction from the skins. After primary fermentation the maceration period was 10 - 16 days before pressing. Each variety is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

Cooperage: Aged for 17 months – 70% in 300 litre French Oak barrels & 30% in 300 litre American Oak Barrels
Production: 1 700 x 6 x 750ml cases
Sustainability Initiative: I.P.W. (Integrated Production of Wine) Certified

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Ernie Els Proprietor's Syrah 2013 - SOLD OUT

Shiraz

Louis Strydom