Luddite - Shiraz - Western Cape, ZA - 2020

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Even though the drought was broken, and we had better rainfall leading up to the harvest, the knock-on effect of the previous five years drought still affected us as the vines struggled to recover. Unfortunately, our crop was low again and both blocks were picked together and fitted into one tank for fermentation. Due to the high skin to juice ratio, we got incredible colour within a few days of fermentation. We allowed the malolactic fermentation to finish while on skins which gave us extra post-fermentation maceration and a chance for the wine to pick up really fine tannins. We pressed and allowed the wine to finish malolactic fermentation in the tank before racking to barrel. After 2 years in barrel, we made up the final blend using a small amount of Mourvèdre and Cabernet Sauvignon from our own vineyards to fill out the mid-palate. 100% French Oak of which 11% was new. Grapes were sourced from Luddite vineyard sites: Young Block harvested on the 11th February 2020 Old Block harvested on the 11th February 2020

Analysis of fruit at harvest:
24.0° Balling, TA – 6.8 g/l, pH – 3.42

Tasting Notes as at 1st March 2023:
Appearance: Dark red in colour with purple hues which carries through to edge of glass.
Nose: All spice, Turkish delight and dark fruit.
Palate: Juicy fruit and spice on entry. Tell-tale Luddite dark fruit core in mid-palate. Plumpness balanced by fine tannins on finish. Aftertaste is long, dry and slightly salty.

Analysis of the wine:
Alcohol: 14.65% pH: 3.55 TA: 5.6 g/l RS: 2.4 g/l
6 000 bottles of this vintage were produced with 12 magnums.

Notes on the Producer

Niels and Penny met at a friend’s 21st birthday party in 1985, where they discovered that they were both going to be attending Elsenburg Agricultural College in the new year. They became close friends at college, and romance blossomed late one night cramming for exams. He passed, she failed, but they’re still together. On finishing their studies, a desire to make wine but with no access to vineyards (these were the dark days in South Africa), Penny and Niels left the country in 1989. 1995 saw the Verburg family return to South Africa from Europe. Niels had worked as a flying winemaker in France, Chili, New Zealand and Australia, and even managed to make wine in Greece. A longing to work on a small farm led them to Bot River. After 8 vintages at Beaumont, they moved up the hill to a 16 hectare patch of land. Thirty years later, with three kids and six dogs, the Verburgs are happy on their hill, and Luddite wines has evolved into an established and respected brand.