2021 Porseleinberg Syrah Swartland Boekenhoutskloof

Given its consistently outstanding quality, it’s easy to forget that the average age of Porseleinberg's 14 hectares of vineyards is only seven years' old. Showing what Callie Louw calls a "little more crunch" in 2021, this is a Syrah with time on its side. Wild herb aromas of sage, oregano and rosemary introduce you to a palate that's dense yet refined, with lots of whole bunch spice and structure, negligible oak influence, detailed, layered tannins, some underlying grip and layers of dark berry fruit. One of the world's great reds from a very special site.

The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect?

What an intense nose of charcuterie, grilled herbs, iron, black berry fruit and cracked pepper. Flavor explosion on the palate, too, with a full body, yet so much freshness with an underlying iron and peppercorn character. Firm, yet fine tannins. Even better from 2025.

My favorite of the three vintages in this flight is the Porseleinberg 2021 Swartland Syrah. This was a cool vintage, but it was not abundant in rain, seeing only 390 millimeters. However, the vineyard team could pick at perfect ripeness. The aromas here are lifted and bright. There is a burst of fruit that reminds me of wild cherry and dark plum. Winemaker Callie Louw wants as little sugar as possible, ideally below two grams per liter or even below one gram per liter. In this case, we have 1.7 grams per liter. This vintage also marks one of the latest harvests. Fruit came off the vines starting on March 4th, and that extra hang time results in a nuanced and delicate expression with dark fruit, spice and mineral. A ferrous aroma of iron ore gives the wine sharpness and precision.

A sleek, integrated red, with a generous core of ripe black raspberry and mulberry fruit flavors. This is well-spiced and fragrant, with clove, espresso, violet and rosemary notes, plus a minerally underpinning of stone and iron. There's muscular power, but it's more the trim and limber grace of a gymnast than that of a powerlifter. Long and mouthwatering on the finish.