Today, Sam is proving to be one of the bright young stars of the Cape wine scene, having developed a particular love and speciality in the making of cool climate Syrah. However, the growing conditions for the 2023 growing season were a little less kind in the maritime vineyards of the Cape. Elim grapes were indeed harvested, but some parcels were not of the quality expected to be included in the final blend. So, what to do…? The answer: make a quick call to Rick… So, with a bit of on the ground detective work from our Cape Crusader, a blend was worked on in October 2024, utilising equally redundant parcels sourced from both De Morgenzon and Miles Mossop. DMZ Mourvèdre helped to fill out the rather hollow mid-palate of the Syrah, whilst the Cinsault from Miles added a sweet fragrance. The addition of a couple of ‘buckets full’ of Viognier did the same but also gave an unexpected texture to the final blend. Described here as being a Méridional blend, it’s a term coined by the French for wines of the south, notably the Southern Rhône, where blended wines are commonplace. Something that distinguishes them from the mostly mono-varietal wines of the Septentrional north.