Lammershoek (South Africa) Zinfandel Syrah 2003
I guess ‘no shrinking violet’ would be one way to describe this wine, and ‘stonking great bruiser’ might be another. From dry-farmed vineyards in South Africa’s Swartland, it weighs in with a reasonable 14.5% alcohol, but this is a wine joyously filled wo overflowing with fruit, spice, sweetness and tannins in abundance. The nose is a pot-pourri of summer berries, fat Morello cherry, exotic sandalwood spice and all sorts of high-toned, floral nuances. It floods across the palate with a wash of spicy, deep, mulberry and plum fruit, all wrapped in toabcco, cinammon and clove. 18 months in barrique has given masses of charry toast and rich, chewy tannins, but the ripeness and fullness of fruit is well up to the task of balancing the wine. Hedonistic and delicious. 9.75 Woodwinters.com, Swig, Jeroboams, Stainton.
