Gabrielskloof Syrah on Sandstone Western Cape 2018

Description

Gabriëlskloof is a beautiful wine estate located near Bot River in the Overberg region east of Cape Town. It was purchased in 2001 by Bernhard Heyns, who had been on the lookout for the ideal place to plant vines. After planting, his first vintage was in 2009. We felt compelled to add Gabriëlskloof to our list because the talented Peter-Allan Finlayson, Bernhard’s son in law, took over as winemaker from the 2015 vintage. The farm has 300 hectares, with 68 hectares planted with vines. The climate is cool with maritime influences coming from Walker Bay. The vineyards are planted with 70% red (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) and 30% white varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Viognier). The vineyards are farmed sustainably with the aim to move to organic farming in the future.

The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Sandstone vineyard, named due to the soils consisting of mostly broken Sandstone rock. The site is mountainous and this environment leads to low vine vigour and yields, resulting in complex and unique wines.

This wine has savoury aromas complemented by notes of blackberries, violets and crushed pepper. On the palate, the delicate fruit flavours are balanced by a subtle spiciness and silky tannins.