One of the gems of South Africa, Porseleinberg, is something to behold, and it is the source of one of the best Syrahs, not only on the cape but the entire world. This project was initially created by South African wine pioneer Marc Kent when he sought to source some Rhone varietals for two of his wine labels. He came across Swartland, on the western cape of South Africa, and seeing the potential in this terroir purchased a 173-acre estate on top of the rugged and brutal Porseleinberg Mountain. Wasting no time, the farm was replanted to Syrah. Callie Louw, who practiced organic viticulture at another South African winery, was appointed winemaker, which was an instant success. Callie has a more traditional approach to winemaking, similar to what we see in the Northern Rhone, focusing on extensive vineyard work implementing organic and biodynamic principles while having a more hands-off approach in the cellar with an old-school 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Porseleinberg is about as good as Syrah gets, and after tasting the 2021 yesterday with one of the winery's ambassadors who flew in from South Africa, this rang true again. This is on par with anything coming out of the Northern Rhone and as good as Chave's Hermitage and Guigal's LaLa's in great vintages, with Porseleinberg garnering bigger scores than almost all of the top names in the Rhone, especially in 2021, while doing it at a fraction of the price. The 2021 Porselinberg is so impressive and poised, with tons of underlying tension, depth, and complexity that starts to build with ample time to open. The purity of fruit here, plus the sheer minerality, make this genuinely world-class Syrah deserving of praise as a wine that dilates time. This is great now, but with the classical structure to age for decades. We have a limited amount at this great price, arriving in about two weeks, and it's one of the most exciting red wine buys in the world right now, getting our highest recommendation!
Vinous Neil Martin 97 points! "The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect? (Drink between 2026-2045)"
2021 Porseleinberg Swartland
2021 Porseleinberg Swartland
One of the gems of South Africa, Porseleinberg, is something to behold, and it is the source of one of the best Syrahs, not only on the cape but the entire world. This project was initially created by South African wine pioneer Marc Kent when he sought to source some Rhone varietals for two of his wine labels. He came across Swartland, on the western cape of South Africa, and seeing the potential in this terroir purchased a 173-acre estate on top of the rugged and brutal Porseleinberg Mountain. Wasting no time, the farm was replanted to Syrah. Callie Louw, who practiced organic viticulture at another South African winery, was appointed winemaker, which was an instant success. Callie has a more traditional approach to winemaking, similar to what we see in the Northern Rhone, focusing on extensive vineyard work implementing organic and biodynamic principles while having a more hands-off approach in the cellar with an old-school 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Porseleinberg is about as good as Syrah gets, and after tasting the 2021 yesterday with one of the winery's ambassadors who flew in from South Africa, this rang true again. This is on par with anything coming out of the Northern Rhone and as good as Chave's Hermitage and Guigal's LaLa's in great vintages, with Porseleinberg garnering bigger scores than almost all of the top names in the Rhone, especially in 2021, while doing it at a fraction of the price. The 2021 Porselinberg is so impressive and poised, with tons of underlying tension, depth, and complexity that starts to build with ample time to open. The purity of fruit here, plus the sheer minerality, make this genuinely world-class Syrah deserving of praise as a wine that dilates time. This is great now, but with the classical structure to age for decades. We have a limited amount at this great price, arriving in about two weeks, and it's one of the most exciting red wine buys in the world right now, getting our highest recommendation!
Vinous Neil Martin 97 points! "The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect? (Drink between 2026-2045)"
