Porseleinberg 2022

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 Louwe 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.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2055
• Reviewer Name: Neal Martin

The Porseleinberg 2022 Swartland Syrah shows extra smokiness and spice. New foudre were delivered and were used for the first time in this wine. Rain was abundant at 470 milliliters (the average in these parts is 450 milliliters), and the alcohol is low at 13.3%. Drinking the 2022 now is premature, as the wine is still quite shy and restrained. A challenging ripening phase was followed by prolonged heat in January and big diurnal temperature shifts. Winemaker Callie Louw calls it "stress maturing," which results in a bigger, more muscular fruit profile with open-knit tannins and abundant fruit. Callie Louw puts a priority on exposing the character of a vintage. All man-made variables remain constant. The DNA of this particular site is reflected in the tannins of the wine. They are chalky and elegant.

• Drinking Window: 2025 - 2038
• Reviewer Name: Monica Larner