2009 is widely regarded as one of the stand-out vintages for Cape wines, and so it is no wonder that the release of Avondale’s Syrah from that year has been much-anticipated.  Samsara 2009 does not disappoint.  In fact, this vintage is a notable milestone on Avondale’s remarkable journey to produce slow-made wines that Mother Nature approves of.   Samsara is crafted from grapes grown across 13 unique soil types that range from 75% rock to decomposed granite to ‘koffieklip’ ferriecrete.  While they each impart a distinctive character to their particular blocks of grapes, they are all soils that are ideally suited to Syrah.

“Every pocket of soil brings a different character and expression to the wine,” explains Avondale’s proprietor, Johnathan Grieve. “The idea is to maximize the uniqueness of Avondale by giving each soil type a voice in Samsara.”

These 13 ‘voices of the terroir’ have been showcased at a recent series of Samsara tastings.  As the blocks of Syrah grapes are fermented separately to retain their individuality, guests have been able to taste the expression of each of the soil types before the artful blending into Samsara.

The name Samsara means ‘to flow on’ in Sanskrit.  “It is the story of how life flows from one form to the next, how it is all interconnected; which is precisely the way we approach our soils and winemaking on Avondale,” explains Grieve. “If we nurture and work with nature we’ll reap the benefits in flavour, vibrancy and the health of our vineyards.”

An ideal red for the Winter fireside, Samsara 2009 can be ordered online here.