Damascene Ceres Plateau Syrah 2022
Vineyards
Ceres Plateau, South Africa
Winemaking & Maturation
This Swartland Syrah has the typical concentration of low-yielding vineyards planted in Mediterranean climatic conditions. Whole-berry fermentation was used. Between 60% and 75% of the fruit was fermented as whole clusters.
All fermentations took place spontaneously, using only naturally occurring yeasts. Malolactic conversion also occurred spontaneously. The wine was matured in 2000-litre Austrian oak vats for 11 months.
This wine will be at its most expressive within five years of vintage but, with careful cellaring, will continue to evolve and improve for more than a decade.
Tasting Note
This wine’s striking magenta colour is a firm promise of the vibrant fruit to come. From a mountainous vineyard situated 940 metres above sea level, the wine expresses its lofty origins in high-toned aromatics. Tiny budding roses, the seductive smoke of violets, lavender, sour cherries, and cranberries run along a warming white pepper seam.
The palate features a luminous intensity of vivid red fruit; a riot of plums and cherries wrapped in paper-thin tannins. Hands-off winemaking (natural yeasts, large format oak) assures the transcendent nature of the wine remains intact. A cool line of mineral acidity traces through, tugging some fynbos spice into a refreshing, plummy finish
