2023 Craven, Stellenbosch Syrah "The Firs Vineyard"

It’s been a long time since we’ve featured a classic wine from South Africa; I’ve got no excuses, but what I can say is that two recent tastings focused entirely on the wines from this exciting region showed me the error of my ways. It’s an understatement to say that I was blown away by the quality and range, and I can think of no better producer to re-introduce these enigmatic wines than Craven. Mick and Jeanine Craven met in a cellar right here in California, and after stints in Europe, Australia, and South America they returned to Jeanine's home in South Africa to begin pursuing their winemaking dreams. They source excellent parcels and use a light hand in the cellar to showcase their belief in the special terroir of Stellenbosch, and perhaps the most clear–and delicious–example of this is today’s elegant, spicy, perfectly balanced Syrah. It’s tempting to compare it to top tier Northern Rhône wines, but in deference to the Cravens vision this bottle is a pure, soaring tribute to the