Sam Lambson is the founder and owner of Minimalist Wines which as the name suggests craft wines with minimal intervention. Sam is proving to be one of the bright young stars of the Cape wine scene, having developed a particular love (and following) for cool climate Syrah.
About Stars in the Dark Syrah:
Vineyards:
“Some of the best things in life emerge from tough times and dark places”.True in wine, as in life, this message appears on the bottle’s back label to reflect the resilience of the Syrah vines that grow in the southern tip of Africa. Conditions are extreme on the harsh, exposed slopes of Cape Agulhas and, as always, we’re astonished and delighted by what nature delivers.
The Blend:
100% Cape Agulhas Syrah
Three cool climate, low-altitude Syrah parcels (50m-80m above sea level), just 8km from the stark and blustery Agulhas coast. As a pioneering wine region, vines are 23-24 years old with a predominant North West aspect, planted on Clay and Koffieklip soils.
The Vintage:
An early and energetic vintage, that proves just how extreme Cape Agulhas can be. Less wind than usual benefitted flowering and set, but brought with it increased disease pressure reducing crop. Veraison and the onset of ripening tracked 2 weeks earlier than the norm, but we’ll remember 2023 for its untimely late rains. Once the picking started, it was a 2 and a half week race against the rain to get our crop safely into the cellar. The wines are bright and full of life, singing home the tune of “Some of the best things in life emerge from tough times and dark places”.
Winemaking:
We begin harvesting in the cool, early hours of the morning into 15kg lug boxes. Grapes are transported to the cellar in a refrigerated truck where they are cooled overnight. Following gentle foot-stomping and crushing, spontaneous fermentation takes place in a combination of open and closed top fermenters with a single daily pump over. A great deal of effort goes into keeping parcels separate during fermentation and maturation, opting to blend just prior to bottling.Every pick and vintage is unique, so we vary the percentage of whole bunches (whole cluster) with an average of 35% making this blend. Maturation in 225L, 228L and 300L neutral French oak barrels lasted 12 months.
Appellation: Cape Agulhas
Alcohol: 12.81%
Harvested: 28/02/2023 – 08/03/2023
On Skins: 13 Days
Elevage: 12 Months in 225L, 228L and 300L neutral French oak Barrels
Bottled: 07/05/2024
