Lammershoek Roulette

The farm was established in 1750, and in the 1970s the then-owner began to plant Tinta Barocca, Carignan and Grenache Noir. In 1995 the farm was bought by Paul and Anna Kretzel, who started to produce wine under the Lammershoek label in 2000 after several years of continuing the farm's tradition of selling its grapes to the Perdeberg Co-operative.

All of the vines are old bush vines between 15-50 years old. There are 9 different Syrah vineyards on the farm; this wine is a selection of 3 different vineyard sites. All the vineyards consist of 'Lammershoek decomposed granite' with varying amounts of available water being allowed through the different clay types. The grapes were handpicked early mornings and cooled overnight. A very rough grape sorting was done to remove any over/under ripe grapes or leaves from entering into the fermentation tank. Partially de-stemmed or left to ferment as a whole bunch. All these different blocks and fermentation techniques were aged separately in combination of concrete tanks, wooden foudre and old barrels for 11 months before careful blending and bottling.

Lammershoek's home in the Aprilskloof Valley, Paardeberg, enjoys a Mediterranean-type climate which brings hot summers and cold, damp winters. Soils of granite and sand give the wines texture, acidity and a degree of perfume on the nose. There are 70 hectares of vineyard, at 80-300 metres above sea level, mostly non-irrigated drylands and all farmed organically (uncertified).

The fruit from each vineyard block is handled differently from one year to the next, its individual qualities offering something different to work with at every vintage. No preconceptions are held regarding what the final wine should taste like - the grapes make that decision! For the 2010 vintage, fruit quality was exceptional following an unusually cool vintage, and grapes were hand-picked early in the morning in 20 kg crates. Fermentation took place in open 5-6 ton concrete tanks before being transferred to older 300 litre barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation. The wine was bottled after a few months further storage in concrete tanks. Lammershoek produce their wines as naturally as possible, and no additives are used apart from a small amount of sulfur dioxide. No fining or filtration takes place.

Dominated by dark berry flavours, the wine has an undertow of fresh spice, a dash of pepper on the finish and an overall rusticity redolent of a high-quality Rhone red. It would sit nicely with any lamb dish that involves coriander seeds, or in less complicated moments it would extend a cordial welcome to a really good steak.