What an elegant brand and deep, juicy red wine to enjoy this winter. I thoroughly enjoyed the 2016 La Motte Syrah just as is but also with a heart warming stew.
This Syrah is a true expression of its Franschhoek terroir with micro-climates from the mountain slopes and valley floors adding complexity to the wine’s elegant character.
Edmund the winemaker explains: “Syrah from Franschhoek contains a natural fruitiness that includes red berries and mulberry. The light soils complement the more elegant style that we enjoy making and we add a small percentage of Durif to contribute to the wine’s colour and texture.”
The 2016 La Motte Syrah has all this fruitiness and elegance as well as some black pepper spice contributed by some of the vineyard blocks well-exposed to shade. With only 30% new French oak, the wood flavours are well integrated with a creamy texture to the finish.
The Syrah vineyards on La Motte are between 10 and 30 years old and are spread over different blocks with varying soil profiles. The vineyard blocks are situated between 200 and 300 metres above sea-level. The soil is of a sandstone and granite origin and varies from a heavier texture along the slopes to a sandy, well-drained texture in the valley.”
The 2016 La Motte Syrah is available online or at the cellar door for R175 per bottle.
Analysis:
Alcohol 13.79 %
Residual sugar 3 g/l
Total acidity 5.7 g/l
pH 3.47