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Damascene, Syrah Swartland, 2022

Red Wine from South Africa, South Africa
by Damascene
$61.99
Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout.

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Damascene is leading a quiet revolution in South African wine. Winemaker Jean Smit is crafting terroir-specific wines that highlight the country’s world-class potential, using native yeasts, gentle extractions, and minimal intervention to bring transparency and site character to the forefront.

Their 2022 Swartland Syrah is sourced from high-elevation vineyards on decomposed granite and schist, where bush vines struggle in dry, stony soils. The fruit is picked early for freshness, and vinified with partial whole clusters and natural fermentation, then aged in large, neutral oak foudres to preserve purity.

The result? A Syrah of bright aromatics and fine structure: think violets, black pepper, blueberries, and smoked herbs, with a core of stony minerality and precise tannins. There’s no sweetness, no excess oak—just lift, savory depth, and Rhône-like clarity, reminiscent of Cornas or Saint-Joseph, but unmistakably South African in its vibrancy.

This is Syrah for Burgundy lovers, Rhône traditionalists, or fans of Arnot-Roberts and Mullineux, built to drink now or cellar over 5–10 years.

Serve with lamb chops, grilled eggplant, or lentils with rosemary, and give it a short decant to let the aromatics unfurl.

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Antonio Galloni

96 points

"From three divergent Swartland sites. Soils of granite, schist, shale and ferricrete act as building blocks to achieve striking, harmonious balance. The purity, perfume and spice of granite grown fruit is complemented by the more earthy tones of grapes harvested from shale and schist outcrops, imbuing the wine with structure and depth. By far the moodiest of the Damascene Syrah trio, the Swartland expression opens with impressive aromatic depth; showing wild blackberries, aniseed, mulberries, and savoury Kalamata olive tapenade. The weighty palate keeps pace with the vanguard, possessing the power to support vivid ripe blackberry and black plum fruit, underpinned by tightly-wound, firm black cherry skin tannins. The muscled fruit core is garnished with star anise, Sichuan pepper, and accents of clove, along with subtle touches of red peppercorn on the plum-laden finish." —Vinous

More about Damascene

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Syrah

  • Vintage

    2022

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Elegant , Silky

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

What Skurnik Wines has to say about this wine:

100% Syrah

Sourced from 3 sites in the Swartland: bush vines situated on the NW foothills of the Paardeberg, on Jakkalsfontein farm, North facing bush vines located in the heart of the Swartland, and the dominant source is from the Western foot of the Kasteelberg

Ancient free-draining decomposed granite soils, Malmesbury shale, ferricrete (decomposed granite with iron), and schist

Hand harvested

60-75% of the fruit was fermented as whole clusters, depending on the parcel

Fermented with indigenous yeast in tulip-shaped concrete fermenters and two 1000-liter conical oak vats, with pump-overs being limited to a maximum of two per day

Aged for 11 months in 2000L Austrian oak vats

Bottled unfined

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Tasting Profile