May 13th, 2026
From Vine to Glass
Our single-vineyard Syrah went into barrel on a Thursday.
On Friday, we had our final rendezvous at the Fat Butcher - the same restaurant where this idea was born.
On Monday, we conducted our first barrel sampling. We took it to a close friend—an internationally awarded winemaker assisting us with Sangiovese for our next vintage. He was preparing for the arrival of the country’s best-known critic the following day. After tasting the Syrah, he brought out a barrel sample of one of his new single vineyards, half in jest, saying he might show ours to the critic as well.
From there, we brought the wine to a restaurant in Camps Bay (a trendy seaside suburb of Cape Town defined by The Twelve Apostles mountains forming a natural bay around the Atlantic Ocean). Here, we were truly breaking bread with friends on one of summer’s last days. They thought it had been in the barrel for many months and that it was ready for bottling. They were shocked when we told them it went into barrel on Thursday. They immediately committed to a significant portion of our allocation.
Part of what has made the 2026 vintage so special is the insanely early harvest (though immense care was shown to ensure the precision of ripeness during picking) added to the fact that we use native yeasts only allowing our fermentations to occur spontaneously, made yet more nerve wracking by our commitment to quality small batch - this Syrah took six weeks to turn dry. As a result of this extended maceration, there is a wine that shows silky tannins and power reminiscent of 2015 in the Rhône.
We can’t agree whether we first experience cinnamon, ferricrete peppercorns or oregano. The Syrah is showing notable balance and finesse at the start of its life - showing crème de cassis, black fruits and Provençal herbs. Think of the finish of a beautiful Hermitage, matured in wise old cellars, delicately opened by a sommelier in a quaint Parisian brasserie. It lingers—unfolding, extending, refusing to end—drawing you back for another sip, almost in disbelief, with the quiet certainty that you have encountered something truly exceptional.
From this vintage, a very small number of allocations remain. If you are serious about joining us in this exploration of South African terroir, we invite you to get in touch.