Mount Sutherland Ouberg Syrah 2018

The Super Single Vineyards team contend that if the usual bottling of Mount Sutherland Syrah leans more to a Côte Blonde style, which is to say a wine of finesse and elegance, then the Ouberg is intended to evoke Côte Brune being more structured and tannic.

Produced by Daniël de Waal of Super Single Vineyards, grapes come from vineyards near the Karoo town of Sutherland, planted 350kms inland at an altitude of 1500m above sea level – the Ouberg site is just 0.5ha in size resulting in smaller berries relative to the rest of the vineyards close by.

Bunches were not destemmed, fermentation taking placing at a higher temperature than for the standard bottling, skin contact lasting six weeks. The resulting is a striking wine with black berries, lavender, meat stock and cracked black pepper on the nose while the palate is rather taut and linear, the acidity high, the finish deeply savoury. The tannins are starting to resolve but this wine will be even better in three years’ time.

Taking into account that Mount Sutherland Syrah 2018 (R480 a bottle) rated 91 in the Prescient Shiraz Report 2021, it must be said that the Ouberg (R750 a bottle) is that much more complex and demanding.

CE’s rating: 93/100.

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