JUDGED ‘Best Red Wine Overall' at the 2025 edition of South Africa's premier wine competition, the Trophy Wine Show: the 2023 vintage of the Arenite Syrah from Hans von Staff-Reitzenstein's Stellenzicht estate below the Helderberg mountains in Stellenbosch. Shiraz was first planted at Stellenzicht in the 1980s, the 1994 vintage grabbed the attention of wine critics and cognoscenti internationally, becoming a collector's item that featured on auctions over the years. The variety has continued to thrive on these slopes, becoming an important component of the property's flagship red, the Acheulean blend, in which it teams up with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault.
Arenite is one of the main types of sandstone in the rocky vineyards on the farm, and the plants from which the grapes come from for the Arenite Syrah were propagated using the same clone as their lauded predecessors. A solid foundation for ongoing succcess.
STELLENZICHT ARENITE SYRAH 2023
WO Stellenbosch: 10- to 20-year-old vineyard blocks on the Stellenzicht farm in the Helderberg. The grapes were hand-harvested in the morning, with about 50% of them left in bunches and the balance destalked in preparation for fermentation which lasted 10 to 12 days. The wines were pumped over three times a day, with extended skin contact after fermentation. Maturation in 300 to 500L French oak barrels (minimal new wood) for up to 15 months before blending and bottling. Total production: 6500 bottles.
Alc 13.4 | RS 1.7 | TA 5.7 | pH 3.5
From Winemaker L’Ré Hughes' Tasting Notes: Rich red and dark fruit along with some hints of allspice… Savoury palate that has a lush finish from the coated tannins.
R225pb ex-cellar.