Layers of bramble and red berry fruit, with spicy, peppery aromas. Energetic and lightly rich palate that emphasises floral elements.
2021 Solace Syrah
R444.00
Layers of bramble and red berry fruit, with spicy, peppery aromas. Energetic and lightly rich palate that emphasises floral elements.
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Description
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Accolades
Accolades
MIGUEL CHAN [ 96/100 ]
“Sourced from Syrah vineyards planted in 2003 on Rosie Gunn’s Brocha farm just down the road from the main Iona winery, this 2.5-hectare site planted on fertile Tukulu soils with a rich vein of gravel, clay and sand, make for a wine with power and depth but also elegance, freshness and pure varietal character. True to form, the aromatics on this fabulous 2021 red are vibrant and pure, with pristine notes of black raspberries, black currants and bramble berries that gently melt into more spicy, peppery, red berry hints showing strawberry compote, melted tar, and salty red liquorice. The 2021 vintage was an exceptional year and the fresh, energetic palate on this wine personifies the tension, pristine purity, and intensity a winemaker simply dreams about achieving in a truly great Cape vintage. Drink on release to enjoy this wine’s youthful Syrah electricity, or cellar for 10 to 15 years.”
GREG SHERWOOD MW [ 96/100 ]
“Bustling with mineral and white pepper energy embellished with sumptuous blackberries and perfumed herbs and tempered by a delicious line of acidity. Very Northern Rhône.”
DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS GOLD MEDAL [ 95/100 ]
TIM ATKIN MW 2023 SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT [ 94/100 ]
“Much more structured, powerful, deeply savoury fresh meat nuances from two parcels of syrah on stony, north-facing sites on Brocha farm. Tightly coiled core of fruit in a firm, dry tannin framework, oak (20% new) for 16 months. Needs (and is built for) a decade to show more fully.”
PLATTER’S WINE GUIDE [ 4½ stars – 91/100 ]
“A bit of reduction blows off to reveal aromas of white pepper, rosemary stem, grilled plums and white smoke. Medium-bodied with soft tannins. Juicy, black fruits and nicely spiced. Peppercorns drive the palate with bright acidity and a bit of tobacco underneath. Long. Sustainable. Drink now.”
JAMESSUCKLING.COM [ 92/100 ]
“More obviously Syrah on the nose. Fresh and focused and very closely related to the 2014. Lots of character. Dry finish and very pure. 13.5%.”
JANCIS ROBINSON MW [ 17/20 ]
OLD MUTUAL TROPHY WINE SHOW 2021, GOLD [ 96/100 ]
“Outstanding in its field – just the perfect combination of ripe black fruit and exquisite pepper and sweet spice. Only just entering its prime. What a wine!”
RICHARD HEMMING MW [ 18/20] -
Technical Details
Technical Details
ALCOHOL 13.6% RESIDUAL SUGAR 2.2 g/l TOTAL ACIDITY 5.6 g/l PH 3.4 -
Winemaking
Winemaking
Grapes were hand harvested into small crates and spent overnight in a cold room. Extensive bunch sorting by hand prior to destemming occured. The grapes were not crushed, with 10% whole bunch for complexity.
Fermentation was allowed to start naturally, with gentle punch downs twice a day by hand. Fermentation temperatures peaked at 28°C.
The wines were transferred to 500L French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation took place (14% new wood, the rest 3rd, 4th and 5th fill).
During the winemaking process, we tried to keep with Rozy’s farming philosophy, thus no enzymes, yeast or sulphur was used during the winemaking process. The wine is not fined or filtered, with a small amount of sulphur added before bottling.
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Vintage Notes
Vintage Notes
The 2021 vintage experienced a typical cold Elgin winter, with snow on the high mountain peaks and high winter rainfall, after 5 years of very dry and unusually warm winter conditions. This enabled good vine dormancy. Bud break took place in ideal warm and sunny conditions. The impact of below than average winter rains in the previous years and windy conditions during October and November resulted in very uneven flowering. As a result, berry set was uneven leading to smaller berries that have good concentration of flavours. Cool weather conditions during December and January slowed down ripening.
The 2021 vintage was characterised by late rainfall and increased the risk of disease. Sorting was again crucial this year and the fruit that remained shows wonderful intensity and fruit concentration. The late rain helped nourish the soils and more importantly, helped the vine focus on grape ripening rather than foliage growth, resulting in concentrated berries with low pH and lower sugar levels. The net result of the later vintage and very cool weather conditions in 2021, is that the grapes had high natural acidity, achieved steady phenolic ripeness and plenty of intense and concentrated fruit flavours.
