2016 Jamsheed Pyren Syrah, Pyrenees

The Pyren cuvée is cropped off Leighton Joy's Pyren vineyard, planted in 1995. This south-facing vineyard occupies a unique site within the region, with the east/west plantings rooted in shallow red and brown loams over a red clay/loam subsoil, laced with a considerable amount of quartz and pink feldspar granite. The low-fertility, dry-grown Syrah vines here have become known for their small bunches and berries. This site is also managed by viticultural guru, Graeme Miles, whose sheep run through the vineyard during the autumn and winter months. Although it's essentially a warm, south-facing site, when you get the picking dates right, Pyren's fruit is wonderfully exuberant and balanced by keen, juicy acidity. The 2016 was fermented wild as 100% whole bunches, after which there was a 60 day extended maceration. The wine was raised old oak and bottled unfiltered and unfined.