Savage Wines

When Duncan Savage was first looking for this remote, wind-swept, Darling vineyard more than a decade ago, he got lost. When he rang the farmer for directions, he was told “volg net die f\*kken foon lyn!” If you’re not fluent in Afrikaans, this translates to “just follow the f\*\*\*ing phone line!” Hence the name for this darling, Darling Cinsault. He's been working with the 2 hectare dry farmed bush vines since 2011, and these 40ish year old vines are rooted in sloping decomposed granite. This was native fermented with 30% whole bunch, with stalks added back, and then basked pressed to old foudre where it rests 10 months. Sapid plum, fragrant wild strawberries, rosewater, and raspberries flood this juicy cinsault, fresh with Darling's inherent marine-fuelled acidity and lined with a raspberry leather base along a slender frame. Tannins are long, fine, and sticky; the finish lingers with finely ground white pepper and salinity. A joy to drink.

Winemaker Duncan Savage makes this tasty Cinsault with fruit from Darling in the Western Cape, near the Atlantic Ocean. It has a nose of plums, and blackberries, followed by aromatic pink pepper. The medium-bodied palate is fresh, with red plums, raspberries and sweet spices backed by optimal acidity and fine tannins.