Elpidios, Swartland, 2018

The 2018 represents the smallest bottling of this wine ever, at just 5,000 bottles. Ripe, silky red fruits soar from the glass before darker berries, soft earth, and cherry stones envelope the palate. Medium bodied, gentle but with real persistence, it has a core of finely chiselled fruit and firm tannins perfect for aging. Attractive now and incredibly complex, we would love to see this next to some of the top Southern Rhone blends in two or three years’ time. For the first time this year, the Syrah was aged almost entirely in concrete. The rest are matured in a combination of old 500L neutral French oak barrels and 2,700 L foudre. Long, gentle extractions with roughly 50% whole bunches. Held back in bottle for 18 months before release. Grenache (33%), Syrah (31%), Carignan (12%), Cinsault (12%) and Pinotage (12%).