THE JOURNEY

We make a wine under the Waterkloof label, only when one of our vineyard blocks on The Schapenberg offers up something extraordinary. We made our first in 2005 – a Sauvignon Blanc. Finally, seventeen years later our best block of Chenin made the grade and so a second was borne from the outstanding white wine vintage of 2021.

We wait all that time for Waterkloof wine number two and now, hot on its heels comes number three. The first red wine under the Waterkloof label from the beautiful red wine vintage of 2020.

Since taking over as winemaker in 2013, having previously been assistant since 2009, Nadia Langenegger and her team have really begun to get the best out of our red grapes. We believe in evolution rather than revolution and a few modifications were implemented, notably foot-treading to extract the juice and tannin more gently. Hard work indeed, but also quite fun… well at least the first couple each year are. We have 20 wooden fermenters to get through!

The changes have really paid off, even throughout the challenging drought vintages of 2017-2019. Testament to this was a first Platter’s 5 Star Award for not just one but two of our red wines in 2021 – Circle of Life Red 2019 and The Last of The First Pinotage 2020.

So, as we finally get to share our first Waterkloof red wine with you all, please have confidence that while it will offer great enjoyment in its youth, Waterkloof Syrah 2020 – just like it’s Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc counterparts- will reward cellaring for a decade…or more.

THE VINEYARD

Size: 1.4hectares (single block)

Ocean Proximity: 4.5km

Altitude: 260m

Exposure: South East

Windspeed: Wild

Soil: Decomposed Granite

Farming: Organic & Regenerative. No irrigation.

Vine Training: Trellised (for support in wind)

Yield: Grapes – 2tons/hectare        Wine – 15hl/hectare

THE CELLAR

Hand-picked and hand-sorted

Whole bunch wild yeast ferment in an old open-top French oak fermenter

Foot-treading and manual punch-downs

24 months ageing in old 600l French oak barrels

No additions other than sulphur

2784 bottles made

THE NUMBERS

Alc: 14%

RS: 1.5 g/L

pH: 3.71

TA:  5.2g/L

VA: 0.8

NADIA LANGENEGGER’S TASTING NOTE

This is a lovely and very expressive wine with complex aromatic of white pepper, herbs, red berries and savoury black berry notes. The palate is full, fleshy, layered and textured with a great length. Drink now and over 10 to 15+ years.