At its core, Stars In The Dark is an expression of Syrah from the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans collide. The cold and inhospitable Agulhas Coast is no easy spot for vines to grow. There’s little rain, the winds howl, and the shallow, layered shale and koffieklip-littered soils provide little nourish­ment. The ripening season is cool and lengthy, yet, with their roots driven deep, these tenacious Syrah vines bear minute, concentrated berries with electric, natural acidity.

‘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.

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.

“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.’

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 with an average of 35% making this blend. Maturation in 225L, 228L and 300L neutral French oak barrels lasted 12 months.