A perspective on Cape Shiraz 28 September 2007

Vertical tastings of Stellenzicht's and Graham Beck's single-vineyard Syrahs give
Angela Lloyd food and drink for thought

South African shiraz remains a magnet for media attention, whether local or international. Much discussion revolves around whether it is our great hope for the future or a parvenu, attracting interest on the basis of extensive new plantings and its popularity with wine producers, rather than inherent quality.

As with any single and numerous generation, it is difficult to get to grips with inherent pedigree; these shiraz youngsters come in all shapes and sizes and most represent fewer than half a dozen vintages.

Thus when not one but two well-established shiraz producers – Graham Beck and Stellenzicht – offer vertical tastings of their top and, coincidentally, both single vineyard wines, it's an opportunity to find out just what South Africa's prospects might be with the variety.

Beck's The Ridge Syrah is a 5.3 hectare block on the limestone rich soils around Rooiberg in the Robertson district. Planted in 1994 to a single clone, 1997 was the first vintage released. Over the years, cellarmaster Peter Ferreira and his team have found three distinct flavour profiles within the block; greater complexity is now achieved through harvesting these sections separately.

Vinification has been pretty consistent with a cold soak, two to three days' ferment before pressing directly into barrel for malolactic and a racking thereafter. Ferreira maintains the approach is traditional, yet a defining feature of The Ridge has been American oak. ‘In 1997 it was the thing to do, and made a happy marriage,' he says. Although more French oak and less new is now the regime, oak flavours are still obvious. Nevertheless, in the vintages shown (1997, then 1999 to 2006) they fail to dim a core minerality, which maintains a tautness in the wine and solid dry finish. If vintage variations have had more to do with the superficiality of oak flavours, the consistency of character within the fruit itself bodes well for the future.

Stellenzicht

It is probably true to say that Stellenzicht Syrah's reputation still rests on the success of the maiden 1994, which came third in the shiraz category but ahead of Grange in the famous/infamous 1995 SAA shield against Australia. That wine was made by André von Rensburg, who remained at the cellar until late 1997; his assistant, Boela Gerber took over for one harvest before handing over the reins to current winemaker, Guy Webber. Three winemakers, then, were behind the ten vintages (1997 - 2006) on offer.

Plum Pudding Hill, as the 3.97 hectare vineyard is affectionately known, was planted in 1989; regrettably no records of the clone or clones exists but Webber confirms a similar fruit quality is produced year in and year out, an aspect that is apparent in the tasting.

Webber 's winemaking approach has similarities with Ferreira's, though he racks more frequently during the wine's 19 months in wood, predominantly French, and during which time it lies on its primary lees. It's this latter tactic Webber believes assists the wonderful mouthfeel of his Syrah. A barrel selection is made before bottling.

These two quality wines couldn't be more different in style: the Stellenzicht is big and rich, much more textured than The Ridge. Yet, a welcome lack of over-extraction imparts a certain delicacy and enhances the mouthfeel, too often a forgotten feature in shiraz, when winemakers strive to obtain every last tannin and end up with a cabernet lookalike.  

Despite high alcohols - both the 2004 and 2005 clock in around 15.9% - there is no sense of over-ripeness or sweetness. While not exactly fresh, the wine bears a pleasing sense of form with gentle yet firm tannin resistance. One can't help but feel that with a degree or so less alcohol, it could be that much better. Hopefully viticulture will play a role here, especially as a scattering of non-virused vines have been identified and are being tested in various laboratories worldwide to ascertain if they are indeed virus resistant. If this is the case, they will be multiplied and eventually replace the virused vines in this vineyard.

In the meantime, the elevated alcohols prove no hindrance to the family likeness apparent over the vintages: clean leather, dark fruits wound into the richness of mouthfeel.

Still learning

There is no doubt that the long incumbency of both winemakers – Ferreira since 1990 and Webber since 1999 – has influenced their wines' consistency. Yet, as both agree, they are still on a learning curve, there are also features which are winemaker driven.

Before concluding, it's worth noting both cellars have recently released the 2002 vintage of their syrahs; not only is the consumer getting the benefit of reasonably priced wines (The Ridge retails for around R160, the Stellenzicht is R189 ex cellar) with a bit of age but both give the lie to the common wisdom that this is a universally poor vintage. While the spring mildews and early winter harmed cabernet in particular, shiraz, for the most part came through unscathed.

On the evidence of these two events – and there are surely other shirazes with lengthy track records which would deliver similar performances – shiraz well deserves its place in South African vineyards and, beneficially, produces diverse styles. It is now up to the winemakers to better understand their vineyards and adopt a more coherent approach to expressing these in the bottle.