Sakkie Mouton "Dawn of the Salty Tongues", 2023

Syrah

Regular price $46.99 Special Pricing

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All orders need to be picked up in Greendale, Wisconsin.
We do not ship.

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"Ruby red. The nose shows graphite, red cherries, red meat, and kelp. On the palate, there is an intense sensation of saltiness with a dark cherry and saline finish."

Grapes: 100% Syrah
Vineyard: Vredendal

Olifants River - South Africa

Aging: 11 months in 500 liter demi muids

Total Production: 208 cases

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines

From importer, Vine Street:

‘Dawn of the Salty Tongues’ is a perfumed and fragrant Syrah from vines located in Vredendal, 15 miles from the cold Atlantic ocean on the West Coast of South Africa. In essence, this wine is a tribute to the people from the West Coast, raised from sand and salt and true to their roots. The label art is a reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and showcases divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to the salty taste on the palette. “Salty tongues” is also a reference to the colorful language used by the local farmers and fishermen. Upon its maiden release in 2022, Greg Sherwood MW found himself fawning over this wine: “What else can I say other than this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting new additions to the South African Syrah landscape in the past 5+ years… which is saying a hell of a lot!”

For Sakkie, that identity is all about what makes the West Coast “lekker.” Sakkie’s wines grow on decomposed sandstone vineyards a five-hour drive up the coast from Cape Town. This is a largely unknown land on the South African wine map; it’s a rugged, maritime terroir with stalwart vines and fierce, cool coastal winds that moderate the warm temperature. “In Koekenaap,” writes Greg Sherwood, MW, “the people are as hardy as the vines, but both are equally generous and expressive when handled correctly.”

Sakkie’s wines seem to ride along a cool Atlantic wave; low pHs are set against a broad, saline frame. The winemaking is straightforward – native yeast, a mix of stainless steel and old oak, no fining or filtering. The only addition is sulfur, which is a tool he wields intelligently. Sakkie’s “why” is telling the story of his home through wine, and it’s one that he is accomplishing with a mastery rarely seen so young. He’s without a doubt one of the Cape’s brightest rising stars.