Storm Point Red Blend 2022, Swartland, South Africa

The weathered landscape of South Africa is the result of millions of years of battering storms. Storms that stirred in the waters off of the ‘Cape of Good Hope.’ This ‘Storm Point’ remains a fabled place to this day. The unruly landscape and intense growing season of the Swartland is the bedrock for this wine. Conditions were cool until the end of December, after which temperatures rose significantly during harvest, which accelerated ripening. Yields were down this year, with berry size being the notable yield component affected. 2022 vintage: 50% Syrah, 40% Cinsault, 10% Carignan. In the 2022 vintage, Syrah serves as the canvas for the wine with Cinsault providing bright red fruit flavors and Carignan painting the deeper colors. The grapes were hand harvested from early to mid-February and destemmed to tank where they fermented whole berry. Gentle extraction through light pumpovers occurred for nearly two weeks with ML occurring naturally in the spring. It was matured in both tank and neutral French barriques for nine months. It was bottled without fining and just a dose of sulfur and sheet filtration at bottling. Tasting notes: Raspberry, black cherry, and crushed Herbes de Provence make up the bouquet on this wine. The palate is vibrant, with fresh, uplifting flavors of plum and orange zest. This vintage is slightly more concentrated than previous vintages, but still with smooth tannins and a refined finish.