Fairview was the first farm to bottle South African Petite Sirah and this is the second vintage of this wine. The grape has already shown itself to be well suited to the soils of the Cape and its inky black colour and deep, spicy aromas are both expressive and intriguing.
IN THE VINEYARD:
Trellised vineyard on the upper slopes at Fairview. The vineyard was planted in 2004 on decomposed granite soils.
HARVEST:
8th February 2008
WINEMAKING:
Grapes were hand picked at 26.4 degrees balling and stored for 24 hours in a cold room at 2 degrees Celsius. All the fruit was hand sorted over a sorting table and any burnt or damaged berries were removed. Fermentation was in 600 litre French oak barrels, after which the skins were gently basket pressed. The wine was transferred to 60% new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation. The wine spent a total of 12 months in a combination of older and 40% new wood.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
Although it has a relatively low alcohol, this is quite a brute of a wine, bold and full bodied, perfect for rich meat dishes. Not what I would call a wine for vegetarians! Anthony de Jager
TASTING NOTE:
Liquorice and a hint of caramel on the nose. Firm tannins, with clove and aniseed spices and black berry fruit on the palate. Ripe, full finish, complemented by lavender notes.
WINE ANALYSIS:
Wine of Origin Paarl
Alcohol 12.91%
Residual sugar 3.1 g/l
Total acid 5.1 g/l
pH 3.55
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