Red 2020 Porseleinberg

Classification	Cru Classe
Type	Red
Brand	Porseleinberg
Vintage	2020
Country	South Africa
Region	Swartland
Grape	Syrah/Shiraz
Volume	0,75
Condition	Perfect
Label	Perfect
Drinkable	-2036
Stock	33

Professional reviews

James Suckling (95)

Aromas of red cherries, rose petals, thyme, rosemary and overturned earth. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, juicy tannins that run the length of the wine. Spicy, herbal and fruitful with a lovely approachability to its complex layering. Succulent and persistent. While this will open up with a bit more age, its already showing very well now. Drink or hold.

BOW (8.75)

Winespectator (95)

An enticing red, this lures you in with aromas of dried flowers and herbs, leather and spices -- a fragrant thread that winds through the wine. Meanwhile, the plush texture wraps around firm, fine-grained tannins and carries rich flavors of baked black plum and cassis, bay leaf and eucalyptus and a subtle base note of ashy smoke. You'll discover more with each sip, so sit a while with this wine. Syrah.

Tim Atkin (98)

"We pick the vintage,” says Callie Louw, whose 2020 Porseleinberg is the second lightest in alcohol he’s ever made at 13.6%. Fermented with 100% whole bunches using the submerged cap technique that transformed the wine in 2018, this is another scented, seamless stunner from Callie Louw. Aged in large foudres and 5% concrete eggs, it’s a spicy, sappy, hauntingly elegant Syrah from a brutal site, with kelp, rose petal and fynbos aromas, juicy bramble and red berry fruit, fine tannins and a wonderful sense of energy.

Vinous (97)

The 2020 Porseleinberg was a hot and dry season that saw 355mm of rain that moistened the soil sufficiently that, together with smooth flowering, saw larger bunches. The harvest was one of the quickest ever (February 5-19). Matured for 12 months in foudres and concrete eggs, it has a beautifully defined bouquet with a mélange of red and black fruit, wild fennel, leather and light orange rind scents that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, very harmonious, veering more toward red fruit intermixed with black pepper, clove, tobacco and allspice. Filigree on the finish, this might be the most elegant Porseleinberg to date, yet there is such finesse that you are utterly seduced. A long and prosperous future ahead.

Robert Parker (92)

Savory, floral and red-fruited, the 2020 Syrah offers notions of iodine and baked clay in the glass and swirling releases a kiss of recessed gas. Medium-bodied and with 13.5% alcohol, the palate displays a firm mineral essence with soft, meaty tones before showing a firm tannic backbone that ends with a spicy and savory finish. For those who enjoy the umami and savory, herbal tones of Walla Walla Syrah, you’ll do well to seek this South African beauty to add to your cellar.