2012 Reyneke Reserve Red

(100% Syrah; fermented with 30% whole clusters; aged for 20 months in French barriques , 60% new): Bright medium red; less deeply colored than the Capstone. Alluring nose offers scents of black raspberry, black cherry, dried flowers, lavender, leather, mint and black and white pepper, plus a whiff of creosote. Juicy and intense but still youthfully tight, with firm peppery acidity currently muting the wine's dark fruit and spice flavors. Youthfully austere today, finishing with drying tannins but also lovely lingering spicy perfume. Incidentally, this has the highest pH (3.8) of this set of releases.