This is the lightest stepper of the Damascene Syrahs, but with unrivalled purity of fruit. The vanguard opens with incredibly lifted elements of raspberry sherbet, red currants, pink peppercorn, and a touch of toffee apple candy. The palate shows more red fruit alongside pristine blood orange and red mulberry acidity. This is all underpinned by slightly deeper black cherry and blackberry, complemented by a savoury tang of dried goji berry. The finish is characterised by vivid, youthful cherry-skin-tannins.

This vineyard is planted into the Bokkeveld shale soils of the Witzenberg mountain range, atop the Ceres Plateau. Situated in one of South Africa’s most elevated growing regions, this vineyard has an altitude of exactly 1000m ASL, and features all the textbook extremes of such a site. During the winter periods, the vineyard gets covered with snow, and the intense diurnal shift also ensures that ripening is usually quite slow. It’s invariably the last vineyard that is harvested each vintage.