Carmen Stevens Petite Sirah 2018

Carmen Stevens Petite Sirah 2018 (Durif)

Winemaking

The fruit was handpicked at optimal ripeness. All fruit bunch sorted and fermented with a pure yeast culture. I use 15% American oak during maturation to compliment the pure ripe fruit from the Paarl region. The wine had 3 racking during the aging process to enhance color and smooth out the tannin structure.

Tasting Notes

The wine opens with a complex nose of dark chocolate and toffee-caramel intertwined with liquorice root and subtle spice notes. The palate entrance is bright and limey, flowing into a smooth tannin structure that supports ripe, sweet blueberry fruit flavors. Well-integrated oak enhances the wine’s depth and length, while a fresh limey lift keeps the palate vibrant and balanced. This Petite Sirah exhibits great fruit depth combined with freshness and structure.

Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5 %
Residual Sugar: 2.4 g/l
Total Acidity: 5.7 g/l
pH: 3.4
Wine of Origin: Paarl

Vineyard Notes

This is one of 6 Petite Sirah wines produced in South Africa. It is big, powerful and with plenty bags of flavour on the palate, with a soft tannin heart. A beautiful wine that over delivers without dominating other characters in the wine.

The CS Petite Sirah 2018 is a blend of 2 pickings from the same vineyard block. This vineyard is planted in the Paarl wine region. The idea was to be able to have 2 different components to add to the complexity of the final blend. As Paarl is a warmer growing area the aim is always to have a balance of the right amount of sunlight on the fruit. This is to prevent burning away of flavor yet having enough ventilation for prevention of disease.