The Syrah on Sandstone site is mountainous and made up of broken Sandstone, making it incredibly tough for vineyards to grow. This merciless environment leads to natural low vigour and minimal yields, resulting in a complex, unique wine. Although looking strong and happy, our sandstone syrah blocks bear very little fruit with tremendous concentration. Crushed blueberries, black plums and mixed spice lead on the nose while the palate introduces a fresh, minty herbaceousness and texture of olive pith. Those signature chalky tannins again hold the wine in perfect balance. 

ABOUT

The Landscape Series is a range of five wines that show the best of Gabriëlskloof's vineyards, together with some special old vine treasures, and aims to give an honest representation of the elements that make them unique. We wanted the labels to reflect this approach and commissioned Niël Jonker – well-known for his landscape panels painted on location – to capture the spirit of our Overberg landscapes.

 VINEYARD NOTES 

The Syrah on Sandstone site is mountainous and made up of broken Sandstone, making it incredibly tough for vineyards to grow. This merciless environment leads to natural low vigour and minimal yields, resulting in a complex, unique wine. Although looking strong and happy, our sandstone syrah blocks bear very little fruit with tremendous concentration. 

WINEMAKING 

The fruit was hand-picked into small crates and transferred directly into our cold room, where it remained overnight. About 40% of the crop was destemmed, with the rest left as whole clusters. The wine was fermented wild in small, open-top fermenters with extended postfermentation maceration. Aged in 500L barrels for 18 months, with second and third fill French Oak used. 

TASTING NOTE

 Crushed blueberries, black plums and mixed spice lead on the nose while the palate introduces a fresh, minty herbaceousness and texture of olive pith. Those signature chalky tannins again hold the wine in perfect balance. 

TECHNICAL 

Alc 14% | RS 1.6 | TA 5.3 | pH 3.6

About Gabrielskloof 's Winery:

Gabriëlskloof is the realisation of a dream for South African Bernhard Heyns, who searched for several years to find the unique piece of land that, in his words, would “root him to the spot”. In 2001 he found what was then a canola farm named ‘Avontuur’ and the penny dropped. It was soon obvious that the site had the potential to make high-quality wines with a distinctive character, and so it has proved. Gabrielskloof has been owned and run by the Heyns family ever since. That family has since grown to include members of the local community, several of whom have risen through the ranks to senior positions at the farm.

 Engaging with and being a part of uplifting our local community is the driving force behind our employment approach and the farm has both been part of and initiated several local upliftment programs in the vicinity. The arrival of Peter-Allan Finlayson as cellar master in 2014 has ushered in a new and exciting era for the farm, notably with the Landscape Series and Projects Range, wines from which have routinely featured in critic’s choice awards in recent years.