This South African Syrah from Franschhoek is an excellent wine for its price point, and there is an exciting approach to cooperative share farming being used to produce it. The Syrah grapes in this bottle were grown and harvested by Stanley. It's a wine that is ageing well, ready to drink now, but will also continue to age.
Tasting notes
Deep garnet in colour. An excellent pronounced nose with. Blackcurrant and blackberry and baked fruits coming through with a black pepper and liquorice edge. spices with of roasted coffee, black pepper and spices, and biscuit, toasted brioche and cedar wood too, thanks to the oak ageing. Cherries and dark chocolate come through on the palate, with supple tannins and a beautiful long finish. Although it's quite high on the alcohol content, it's refreshingly smooth with balanced tannins.
Food pairings
This wine is great with the kind of hearty food you'd imagine you might eat in Cape Town. Think barbecued meats and hamburgers, roasted leg of lamb, aged hard cheeses like Gouda, and grilled vegetables.
About the winemaker
The Earth Beneath Our Feet is a new wine label player focused on share farming and led by Sam Hatfield, who's background is in organic farming with shared ownership models in Dorset. They focus on small vineyards around Franschhoek in South Africa and they are working to prove that even small vineyard parcels can create meaningful livelihoods for those who work the land through shared ownership and empowerment models that help the local communities thrive. Their model is to empower local growers with the opportunity to manage a vineyard, while receiving a fair share of the income it generates. Each bottle carries the name of the grower behind the wine as well as a handwritten fragment of their personal reflection of the vintage at hand, printed across the label - a very nice touch, we think!
Sustainability Rating: 2* (Good)
We love the journey that the Earth Beneath Our Feet has embarked upon. Their aim is to care for the land, empower the people who work it and make wines that have a distinct sense of place. Each grower takes on the day-to-day management of a vineyard. Support is provided, where needed, in order to build their capacity to farm in a sustainable way. Growers receive a share of the income generated by their vineyard, what remains is used to cover the running costs incurred during the season.
Sam is a UK organic farmer by background. Part of his work with the local growers is to provide training and guidance on sustainability – for example he's helped Stanley, who runs the Syrah and Chenin Blanc blocks, to convert to organic farming (as yet uncertified). Think lots of chicken manure, winter cover crops and mulching. Beyond organic farming, they have also transitioned the vineyard to dryland (i.e. no manual irrigation) since water is such a precious commodity in South Africa. And the result of all of the above has been to further increase the quality of the fruit.
Other Info: Red. 15% ABV. Aged 14 months in new oak. Cork closure. 2017 Vintage.
