** THIS WINE IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DISCOUNTS

Wine Composition

100% Syrah

Winemakers Comments

Bright deep youthful red colour. Dark pepper like spices and blueberry fruit nose with a lovely fynbos, indigenous herbal aspect. Big, complex fruit loaded palate restrained with lovely acidity and fine tannins. Lingering finish. Delicious with a slow roasted pork belly and a match for some sweetness and spice too as it’s quite a bold, but fine wine. Drink 2024 to 2035.

Technical Analysis

Alcohol Percentage

15.08%

TA

5.72 g/l

pH

3.46

RS

2.19 g/l

Vinification

Handpicking into 20 kg crates. Destemming and gentle crushing directly into small 2 ton open top fermentation tanks with 10% whole bunches. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. 30°C with the cap of skins punched down manually 1 - 3 times a day for 14 days. 1/3 whole bunch fermented for 1 month in oak foudre. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. Malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 30% new fine grained, slow toasted small French oak was used in the first year and old 700L oak in the second year. Time in barrel 20 months with only 2 gentle rackings. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered by hand 

Winemaker

David Trafford

Winery

De Trafford Winery is situated on the beautiful Mont Fleur farm set at the top of a dramatic valley above Stellenbosch, 380m up between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains, right at the end of the Blaauwklip road, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West.

The history of wine growing on this mountain farm started with the purchase of the property in 1976 by the Trafford family as inaccessible grazing land. Many of the high altitude slopes were deemed suitable for high quality red grape varieties. Unfortunately, due to the absurd quota restrictions, planting a commercial vineyard had to wait 18 years. In 1983 a small vineyard was established to produce experimental wines – consumed by family and friends! These were our learning curve years ( 1984 – 1991 ), which included lots of help and advice from local winemakers and working experience in France, particularly in the Bordeaux area.