Simonsig Mr Borio's Shiraz 2013

ageing : Can be enjoyed now, but further ageing of three to five years from vintage would be highly rewarded.

History
Alessandro Borio, a prisoner of war here during World War 2, stayed on making South Africa his home. A Master in “cemento” his unparalleled masonry skills and colourful personality made him a close friend of Simonsig’s Malan family. Starting every day by cooking breakfast on his spade, he built the first cement wine tanks on Simonsig. This, the oldest part of the cellar is still used today to produce the much lauded Simonsig Shiraz.

In 1993 a new planting program was started for Shiraz and only the best available clones were planted. These clones are all virus treated and are sourced from South Africa, France and Argentina. The 1996 Shiraz was the first wine to include grapes from the new plantings. The new clones ripen earlier with high sugar levels and show an abundance of colour and fruit flavours. The yields are also higher; therefore green harvesting is applied to limit the yield. Shiraz is the most planted grape variety on Simonsig Estate, as the terroir is perfectly suited to produce excellent quality Shiraz.