Mont Rochelle Syrah 2019

As you would expect from a wine produced from an estate owned for the past decade by Richard ‘Branson, this is a serious wine. The nose offers up decadent notes of black cherry and mulled dark fruits. The colour is deep and dark, and the palate has an explosion of succulent fruit, blackberries, blueberries and unripened strawberries. Unlike many SA Syrahs, there is little spice present and instead a more refined old world style. I would recommend this wine is at the beginning of it’s drinking window, still with more refinement to come in coming years, not so much from any lingering tannins but more from the sheer depth of fruit still on show. This is a wine that can be enjoyed on its own, so food pairing not essential, however, if you want to add something with it on a dinner plate, lamb tagine perhaps. TASTED APRIL 2024.