Description
The 2019 Three Pines Syrah is a wine that exemplifies balance and finesse. Produced from a single block planted in 1991 at 360 meters, it underwent 20 months of maturation in French oak, with about 15% new barrels. The wine was basket-pressed and unfiltered, preserving its pure expression. Despite a drought, the vintage benefitted from cooler conditions and low yields, resulting in excellent fruit quality. The wine showcases a harmonious blend of floral notes, pepperiness, and smooth red cherry and currant flavors. It has a finely textured mouthfeel, described by critics as “the texture of crushed violets,” with vibrant acidity and a long, elegant finish.
Food Pairing: Perfect for lamb, game meats (such as venison), and roasted poultry.
Producer Profile
The origin of the winery is serendipitous, but the story of the founding family is more complex. South African patriarch Hans Schroder (b. 1938) was raised in Stellenbosch but spent much of his adult life abroad. In the 1960’s while attending university in Japan, Hans met and married fellow student Midori Maruyama. At the time, their marriage contravened the apartheid regime’s Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act so the young couple settled in Japan. They remained in Tokyo for the next 30 years where they raised three daughters—Marie, Lisa, and Miki. Fast forward to the late 1980’s — the end of apartheid was inching closer and Nelson Mandela’s release was imminent. Hans and Midori decided it was time to return to South Africa and be part of the positive change. They purchased the Oude Nektar farm in 1989 and focused on growing grapes.
Eldest daughter Marie and her American husband Jose also relocated to South Africa to join the family. Jose, a graphic designer by trade, originally intended to open a studio in Cape Town but plans were thwarted when he discovered his passion for wine. With an artisan’s attention to detail and a purist’s approach in the cellar, Jose slowly developed the wines to where they are today. He continues to design all his own wine labels.
Reviews
JancisRobinson.com 17
2019 was the last year of the drought. From different vineyards on the estate, but mostly from the middle of the slope at 200 m. Co-fermented with a tiny bit (about 2%) of whole-bunch Roussanne and Viognier. Small-batch fermented with native yeasts. 20 months in small French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered. So perfumed and intense and sweet and stunning on the nose. Lifted and more fragrant than the 2020. The tannins are more transparent. It’s more floral, more peppery, more refined and it tastes as if the acidity is a little higher, a little tense. Bruised damson skin, pomegranate, crushed gravel and dark-dark-red fruit and then just a little smoky on the finish. [Tamlyn Currin, 24/02/2024]
Tim Atkin 93
Bigger, bolder and more compact than the straight Stark-Conde Syrah, this comes from a single block planted in 1991 at 360 metres. Fermented with 20% whole bunches, it’s meaty, tangy and appealingly reductive with some ginger spice and violet top notes and grippy, focused red and black cherry fruit. 2023-29 [Tim Atkin MW, 01/09/2021]
