Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards2023 Shiraz, Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards
Swartland, South AfricaVintage: 2023
“The Swartland Fire”
Dark purple with violet glints, this Shiraz bursts with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, and cracked black pepper, accented by hints of olive and fynbos. The palate is bold yet vibrant – ripe black fruit layered with smoky spice, framed by grainy tannins and refreshing acidity. A wine that’s both generous and grounded.
For when: the grill is hot, the table’s full, and the mood is unfiltered joy.
Pairs with: flame-grilled lamb chops, boerewors, or charred aubergine.
If this wine were music, it’d be Afro-jazz, bold, rhythmic, and full of life.
Leeuwenkuil is one of the Swartland’s most dynamic family estates, farming hundreds of hectares of old vines across diverse soils. Their Shiraz captures the region’s signature: sun-drenched ripeness balanced by savoury, peppery depth, always with an unmistakable Swartland energy.
Whats in the bottle
Shiraz 100%
12 Mixed Bottles *
£14.18
Save £1.58
* As part of a mixed case of any 12 bottles
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Tel : 02922 337454
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Description
Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards is the most southerly estate in Swartland and its history dates to 1693, when the farming focussed on livestock, grain and vineyards, making it a valuable stop-over for travelling parties to and from Cape Town. The banks of the Klapmuts River, a small stream running through the farm, used to shelter Cape Mountain Lions, from which the estate’s name Leeuwenkuil (Lion’s Den) derived. In 1850, the Dreyer family bought the farm, and it is run by seventh generation Willie Snr and his wife Emma. Willie has significantly invested in planting vineyards and today Leeuwenkuil is the largest vineyard in the Cape Coastal area. With a lack of sustainable irrigation water, most of the vineyards are dry-farmed and have a very low carbon footprint. Of the 1,200 hectares under vine, 100 hectares are organic, while the rest is sustainably cultivated. Leeuwenkuil built a state-of-the-art winery which vinified their first grapes in 2020, producing Swartland wines of distinction and character.
The hand-picked grapes were destemmed and transferred into stainless steel tanks. Wild yeast enabled a long and even fermentation, which took place at around 25°C, , with a slow, gentle extraction, resulting in an elegant style. Post-fermentation skin contact maceration took place for two to three weeks to allow the extraction of good tannins. The wine was matured in stainless steel, without any oak influence, just regular racking from the lees to aerate and enhance polymerisation of tannins and colour.
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