Wolf & Woman Wines Syrah Swartland 2023 750ml

ABOUT Jolandie is a huge Northern Rhône fan, and while she’s not trying to replicate it, she also felt like she couldn’t not make Syrah in the Swartland. The 2023 vintage is a blend of two regions: 90% from Malmesbury on red, iron-rich soils, and 10% from Riebeekberg on schist. The iron component provides all the aromatics with a denser tannin and the schist component provide structure, concentration and grippy tannin. The 2022-2023 vintage was dryer and warmer than normal, though at véraison they had some good rains which brought necessary relief to the vines. The weather stayed moderate during ripening without any extreme heat spikes. All of the vineyards were picked separately in crates and transported to the cellar where they spent three days cold soaking. The following day, bunch sorting took place before the grapes went to open-top fermenters. About 85% of the grapes were de-stemmed but uncrushed and the remainder fermented as whole clusters. The wine spent 12 additional days on the skins before being lightly pressed to old, 300-500-L oak barrels for 10 months. After this period, the wines were racked, blended, and bottled without fining and with a coarse filtration and just a small addition of sulfur. DATA Grapes: 100% Syrah Vineyard: 90% Malmesbury - 10% Riebeekberg Vine Age: Average: 26-years-old Soil Type: Red, iron-rich soils (Malmesbury) - Schist (Riebeekberg) Viticulture: Sustainable – dry-farmed Fermentation: Native yeast – open-top fermenter (85% de-stemmed, 15% whole-cluster) Skin Contact: 15 days Aging: 10 months in 300-500L seasoned oak barrels Alcohol: 13.4% pH: 3.8 Total Acidity: 5.4 g/L Total SO2: 60 ppm Total Production: 225 cases UPC: 658325084610 TASTING NOTE This is aromatic Syrah! It shows a racy blend of spice, florals, and berries on the nose, then a juicy palate with a hint of pepper, wrapped in silky tannins. Sip it slowly and think. PRESS Tim Atkin, MW | 94 Vinous | 90 The WineMag | 94