The 2024 vintage of this groundbreaking South African syrah is aromatically open and expressive – ‘quite a charmer’ I wrote when I first tasted in June 2025 and that remains the case today – with both dark berry and red plum fruit, star anise and earthy spice as well as black-tea leaf and dried oregano. There is an element in the perfume that makes me think of the hot rock of the vineyard – sun absorbed by schist – during harvest time. The fruit on the palate displays lovely ripeness and generosity, even a strawberry as well as blueberry and blackberry character, with a succulence to the mouthfeel. It feels like it will be quite a fruit-forward vintage – there’s a sweetness to that fruit profile – and a mid-palate sumptuousness to the texture which is very appealing. And then with time in the glass, it starts to show a cured meat note and the sappiness of whole-bunch fermentation. The tannins are intense, no doubt, with a three-dimensional mouthcoating sensation, but they are fruit coated, making them feel deceptively approachable. Concentrated and dense, with a spicy core, the entry is dry and the finish is fresh, dry and salty – tightening up after that mid-palate succulence. As I’ve written before, the best South African wines of 2024 exhibit both power and balance and that is very true for this Porseleinberg: a delicious, masterful rendition of a special site. Drink from 2028 to 2039. 14%
