2019 Syrah, Patina by Boekenhoutskloof

Brooding and intense from the first pour, the nose is packed with dark berry fruit, juicy black plum and bramble, layered with aniseed, leather and charcoal. The palate follows through with blueberries, blackberries and liquorice, moving into savoury, complex territory with notes of black olive, white pepper and chalk dust. The mid-palate is plummy and spicy, showing gamey, earthy tones and a hint of tar, before finishing with lingering dark chocolate, exotic spice and cocoa powder. Medium to full-bodied, dense and fleshy, it carries a solid core of fruit, grippy fine tannins and enough natural acidity to keep everything beautifully balanced.

For when: you want a serious red that slows the pace and demands attention.
Pairs with: roast lamb, game, slow-cooked beef, or deeply savoury vegetable dishes.
If this wine were… a low-lit room filled with conversation and intent, dark, textured, and absorbing.

The Patina vineyard lies on the Riebeeksrivier Road between Riebeek-Kasteel and Malmesbury, on the south-western slopes of the Kasteelberg in the Swartland, a pocket widely regarded as one of the appellation’s finest sources of Syrah. The Goldmine soils are a complex mix of brown and blue schist, quartz and deposits of Table Mountain sandstone washed down from the mountain, all sitting over deep schist bedrock. These soils consistently deliver wines of concentration with finesse, structure and texture. The name Patina references the gold prospectors who once worked this land, and the layered sheen that developed on their tools over time, a fitting metaphor for a wine shaped by place, patience and quiet intensity.