Circumstance Syrah 2009

Name: Circumstance Syrah 2009
Brand: Circumstance
SKU: 28440

Floral and herb fragrances, with hints of spice on the nose. Bright fruit is carried by the fresh acidity. Elegant with great length.

This will complement red meat, especially lamb or sirloin steak, flavoured with Southern French herbs (rosemary, thyme) or hearty casseroles.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : Waterkloof

winemaker : Werner Engelbrecht

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol rs : 1.3 g/l pH : 3.77 ta : 5.0 g/l va : 0.74 g/l

type : Red style : Dry wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

in the vineyard : Circumstance Syrah is grown on the slopes of the Schapenberg. The farm is about 4 kilometres from the sea, and the Shiraz vineyards are planted at a height of between 240 and 260 meters above sea level. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium size stones, helping with drainage, but they also have a very good ability to retain moisture. The 2009 vintage was cultivated under dry land conditions. Strong south- easterly winds occurred during the growing season, which helped to control growth and crop. The vineyards are 8 years of age. Production was approx 3 tons/ha.

2008/9 GROWING SEASON
The Winelands stayed in the grip of winter well into September of 2008. Very good rains during the winter ensured that soil retained enough moisture to sustain the vines through the long growing season. Together with cool weather during spring, it caused vineyards to ripen the grapes later than normal. Cultivars that ripen early to mid-season were 2 to 3 weeks later than normal. The long, cool growing season ensured that grapes had a high natural acidity and lots of flavor. Late ripening varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon ripened on time. The result was a short and very intense harvest which lasted for about 5 weeks.

about the harvest: Harvest was short and very intense and lasted for about 5 weeks.

in the cellar : The grapes were fermented in open top wooden fermenters. Natural yeast was allowed to start and complete the fermentation process. The grapes were not destemmed and everything was fermented on the stems. Only sulphur was added and no other additions, such as tartaric acid or enzymes were allowed. Berries were punched down a maximum of two to three times per day. The wine was left on the skins for 30 days before it was racked. To ensure that we extracted only the finest tannins, the skins were pressed with a basket press. It was then aged in new 600 liter barrels for 20 months before bottling. The wine received a light egg white fining using organically farmed eggs to refine the tannins.

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