Craven Syrah 2023

Mick and Jeanine Craven have been friends of Uncharted for some time and we are delighted to sell his wines in the UK. They started Craven Wines in 2014, sourcing fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch and making 'site-specific, honest wines'. Originally from Australia, Mick met Jeanine whilst working in Sonoma, California, before both moving to South Africa in 2011.

All fruit sourced now comes only from vineyards whose farmers are dedicated to working their land organically. Stellenbosch has an array of different sites and terroirs allowing Mick to 'let the grapes do the talking'.  Increasingly they work with farmers who understand the importance of cover crops and removing chemical treatments.

The winemaking approach keeps things relatively simple; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents are added. Bottling is with minimal sulphur additions.  

Syrah is one of Mick and Jeanine's favourite varieties, and this particular parcel is from a farm in the Devon Valley. The vines are planted on deep, rich, red soil with a high clay content. Fermentation is done whole bunch, with a little foot pressing to extract a little juice. Grapes were pressed after 9 days before spending 10 months in old puncheons.