Lismore Syrah 2017

Drink now or cellar for up to 10 years. No need to decant before serving. California winemaker Samantha O’Keefe moved to South Africa in 2000 and soon fell in love with a 300-hectare ranch called Riviersonderend which she has transformed into one of the region’s finest wineries. In 2018 she was invited to join the prestigious Cape Winemaker’s Guild in 2018, making her only the sixth female winemaker to achieve this honour. The property is located in Greyton, a sub-region of Overberg which is forging a reputation for excellent cool climate wines. Lismore’s vineyards are planted on the foothills of the Riviersonderend Mountains where the combination of elevation and the cool climate ensure the ripening season is much longer, usually by 3-4 weeks, than the rest of the Western Cape. This masterful Syrah is a great introduction to the Lismore style, and has previously been called “consistently one of South Africa’s best expressions of the grape” by renowned wine critic Tim Atkin. 30% of the fruit comes from Greyton vineyards planted on schist soils without irrigation, while the remaining 70% is from Elgin where the vines sit on sandstone and shale. Around half is fermented in whole bunches in small open vats and the remainder is destemmed and fermented in a 5000 litre wooden vat. The young wine is then left to mature in a 3000 litre oak cask for 9 months. This use of large neutral oak vessels helps showcase the natural cassis, blackberry and cherry notes and fine tannins while adding delicate hints of spice and white pepper.