Ultimate Guide To Africa April 2015 | Page 55

Ultimate guide to Africa - for Luxury Travel Stellenzicht Plum Pudding Hill Celebrated Stellenbosch wine farm Stellenzicht has launched the 2007 vintage of its Plum Pudding Hill Syrah, a new single vineyard addition to its highly regarded portfolio. “O ur wines are the products of our unique terroirs, farmed with care and made with subtlety. This is the very DNA of the Plum Pudding Hill Syrah,” says Stellenzicht Winemaker Guy Webber. Stellenzicht is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. It lies in a prime wine-growing area just a few kilometres from False Bay, at altitudes that ensure slow ripening and exposure to soils that impart complexity to the wines. The sophistication of this Syrah stems from a vintage that Webber describes as close to ideal. “Ample autumnal rainfall translated into wonderfully even ripeness of fruit, while the coolness of the ripening period resulted in this wine’s 55 balanced structure and finesse.” The wine boasts an inkish blue/garnet depth of colour, a refined mouth feel and flavours of ripe, dark fruit with hints of pepper and violets. Supple tannins and a lingering aftertaste finish on the palate. Bottled as Stellenzicht Syrah since 1994, the Plum Pudding Hill Syrah has its origins as one of only two Shiraz vineyards on the farm in those days. Its name hails from local folklore, in which a trailer-load of plums once overturned nearby, making a most memorable mess. While several new Shiraz vineyards have been planted at Stellenzicht over the years, none have shown the characteristics of Plum Pudding Hill. The 2007 vintage of the wine is the first officially registered as a single vineyard. Plum Pudding Hill Syrah 2007 is available from the wine shop at Stellenzicht, the Vinoteque at Bergkelder and selected wine boutiques and leading restaurants nationwide. Stellenzicht is part of the Cape Legends stable, an extensive collection of award-winning wineries and estates situated in and around the Cape Winelands. For more information contact info@stellenzicht.co.za or visit www.stellenzicht.co.za.