2020 Bekkers Syrah, McLaren Vale

The 2020 Syrah is elegant and spicy—the whole-bunch component lends a spice and a skeleton (I always mean to say rachis, yet I censor myself to skeleton each time) and a structure that is most attractive. The wine is concentrated and silken, with a flow and ebb in the mouth that speaks volumes to the pedigree of fruit resource and clever handling in the winery. At this stage, the oak is still obvious in the glass, however having tasted the 2019 alongside, I can confirm that it recedes into the fruit like the ocean over sand with time. In my opinion, the best McLaren Vale Shirazes/Syrahs display a balance of sweet fruit and meat; it's a challenge to foster both parts of the grape in the bottle, but when it's done, it is a marvel. As this is. Drink to 2032.

96 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, September 2022

Clarendon and Seaview sourcing, harvested across staggered windows to impart textural detail and freshness. Fermented wild with gentle pumpovers. 50% bunches in the mix. Basket pressed to 500L French wood (55% new). The end result, as with all wines here, is one of consummate class and refinement. While the grenache is the leading light, this sits comfortably in 2nd place. Carnal spice, pepper grind, salami and blue to darker fruits are strung across bow of saline tannic tension, rolled into a firm gristly knot. Superlative grape tannins, mind you, extracted with a confident aplomb. The oak, a mere echo. This glimpses the finest crus of the northern Rhône through the lens of the Vale. Exciting. Exceptional. Rewarding. Drink to 2030.

96 points Ned Goodwin for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2022

Aromas of black cherries, coffee, nutmeg and white pepper. Full-bodied with chalky, powdered tannins. Rich and dense fruit washes over the palate with structure and definition. Great intensity and length here. Drink or hold. 

95 points James Suckling, October 2022

2020 was not the easiest vintage in McLaren Vale but Emmanuelle and Toby Bekkers have managed to coax out a stylish wine that is understated yet complex. it’s intriguing thanks to a mix of black olive, salt bush, fruits of the forrest and new leather aromas with prominent high quality oak well matched. There is then the Bekkers trademark seductive, silky texture with fine yet focussed flavours before building to a soaring, dark fruited finish. There is plenty of flesh on ample, integrated tannins that drives a sustained, hearty finish. One of the best Syrah’s yet from Bekkers. Drink to 2032.

95 points Angus Hughson for Wine Pilot, August 2022

Deep, dark red colour with a tint of purple and the aromas are very bunchy, herbal and graphite-earthy, and there's a note of olive. The wine is chewy and deep, dense and drying towards the rear thanks to masses of tannin. It's concentrated and powerful and would benefit from a little cellar time. Drink to 2035.

95 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, February 2022

Whole-bunch fermentation gives this Syrah real spine: black cherry, coffee grounds and white pepper sit alongside a savoury edge of black olive and dried herb. The palate is dense yet silky, built on fine, chalky tannin with genuine length, the oak still settling in but well matched to the fruit's concentration. There's plenty to enjoy now, with clear reward for those who wait.

Its peppery spice and olive-edged structure will suit something with a little smoke and char. Try chargrilled quail with harissa and pomegranate molasses, or a peppered duck breast with cherry jus, both echoing the wine's darker fruit and savoury lift.

More about this wine

This 2020 Syrah is a blend of fruit sourced from four vineyards in the Clarendon and Seaview subregions of McLaren Vale. The season had a challenging start, resulting in tiny yields. The overall fruit quality was excellent.

Most of the fruit was destemmed and sorted to remove any shrivelled berries. The whole berries were cold soaked with a 21% inclusion of whole bunches for up to five days prior to indigenous yeasts starting the fermentation. The ferment was kept cool to minimise over-extraction and basket pressed to oak after 15-20 days. The wine was matured in French oak puncheons of which 55% were new, with minimal sulphur additions, before being bottled unfiltered in December 2021.

About Bekkers

Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers produce small quantities of fragrant and silky-textured premium McLaren Vale wines with the intention of being among the best in the world. Obsessive vineyard management lays the foundation for their winery work, which balances open-mindedness with attention to detail.