Lismore Syrah 2018 750ml
Tim Atkin | TA 92
Published: Special Report 2021
This Cape South Coast Syrah marries grapes from Greyton and mostly Elgin. Fermented
with 50% whole bunches and aged in older wood, it's peppery, spicy and youthful, with
grippy tannins, taut acidity and layers of red cherry, fynbos and blackberry fruit. 2023-28
Winemaker
An exotic experience which shifts your mind to another place. Cassis, current, blackberry and cherry. White pepper, ground herbs and the strong floral perfume of crushed violets. Light and elegant but structured with a fresh acidity. To experience the best this wine has to offer, decanting is suggested.
Wine Made in the Soil
The Syrah is made from 30% Greyton fruit planted in heavy schist (decomposed shale) soils with no irrigation, and 70% Elgin fruit on sandstone and shales soils. Two of the coolest climates in in South Africa with extreme diurnal temperature shifts present us with a Syrah that has a very distinct sense of place. One that tells its story in the glass.
Winemakers Notes
The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness. 40% whole bunch fermented in large 5000 litre vats with gentle pump-overs twice a day and then finished with a 28 day extended maceration before being the free run juice was drained and the skins ang whole bunches were pressed in a traditional wooden basket press. The process allowed for a long extraction period which softens the wine and lends to the fruit expression and structure. The wine was racked into 225, 300 and 500 litre barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine was aged for 12 months. 5% new French oak was used.
Time in the bottle will allow integration, the deepening of layers and full expression of the fruit.