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.
Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17.5
From a single vineyard (Three Pines) on the estate. Vineyard bunch selection and winery selection (they have an amazing vineyard crew who have been working with them for 30 years). Small-batch fermented with native yeasts. 20 months in small French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered. 2019 was the last year of drought so yields were low, berries were tiny, concentration was high. Just 3,308 bottles produced. Violets, red pepper, pink peppercorns, ras al hanout fragrance. The tannins are deeply fissured, silk taffeta, peppery, grippingly seductive and yet gently insistent – like heart beat. The fruit is as fine as Pinot Noir, glistening, the dark blue black of elderberries one moment, the sharp paper-cut red of holly berries the next. Tomato vine and vine tomatoes. Pine-needle and clove aromatic. Extraordinarily elegant. Long, inky, graphite curling ribbon of a finish. (TC) [24/02/2024]
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2030
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]
