Porseleinberg Syrah 2022

Tim Atkin MW  99 points

Produced in the teeth of what Callie Louw calls a “crazy year”, with lots of winter rain and one of the hottest Januaries ever, this is the latest in a series of world-class Syrahs from the brilliant Callie Louw. Fermented and aged in foudres and 15% concrete, using the submerged cap technique that has transformed the style here, this has 95% whole bunches, fynbos and Mediterranean herb aromas, sculpted, detailed tannins and layers of plum, blackberry and raspberry and impressive freshness for a wine with a pH of 4.1. A refined wine from a brutal site.

2025-40

Neal Martin 96 points

The 2022 Porseleinberg was macerated with about 70% submerged cap and 30% pump-over. It was matured 85% in foudres and 15% in concrete vats for 12 months, then an additional six months in bottle. It presents a deep ruby color. The bouquet takes time to open in the glass, revealing blackberry and touches of cassis, crushed violets and a judicious dash of balsamic. There’s wonderful delineation, but it opens very, very slowly. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, more structured than the 2021. White-pepper-tinged red fruit mixes with subtle menthol notes on the peacock’s tail of a finish. Winemaker Callie Louw describes this as a mixture of old and recent Porseleinberg, and I can see that. It’s a spellbinding Syrah that will require five or six years in bottle, but it will certainly be worth the wait.

– By Neal Martin on August 2024

Victoria Mason MW – Club Oenologique 97 points

The first winter with above average rainfall since 2015 (477mm), with precipitation well spread out. This ‘phenomenal and cool’ winter was followed by a very hot January that shocked the vines. The crop struggled to accumulate sugar and Louw and the team were able to pick slowly. This is the lowest-alcohol Porseleinberg bottled to date. A little shy at first but opening up to reveal gorgeously spicy fennel salami, dried bay leaf and rosemary notes, moving from a ferrous character to violet-infused perfume with time in glass. The fruit profile starts in the red spectrum – tangy red cherry and raspberry, with a citrussy, pink-grapefruit tang – and moves towards wild blueberries. It demonstrates a wonderful peppery tension on the mid-palate and fine-grained, mouth-coating tannins. A linear, tightly-packed Porseleinberg – lithe and slender with tonnes of energy, and with that signature stony grip on the finish.