Young Guns
Online-Only Auction, 17 - 28 November 2022
Young Guns | For the classicists and the geeks alike, an incredible collection
About the SessionWhat is a Young Gun?
A talented winemaker who pushes the boundaries, breaks the rules and creates cutting-edge wines with personality and energy. Young Guns either work, or have worked for notable estates, but also produce unique wines under their own labels. They are dynamic, working together in pushing the envelope and promoting brand SA. They are the winemakers who should be on your radar as they are making some of the most daring, innovative, and simply delicious wines in SA. They travel and taste extensively, drawing inspiration from the classics through to the more edgy, hip styles and techniques, from the profound and obscure wine regions of the world. And then they apply their own creative interpretations on home soil, often searching for unique vineyard sites, cultivars and old vines. The results are most often small in numbers and high in demand, selling out on release. They are the rising stars, the future icons and ultimately, tomorrow’s investment wines.
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About this Item
Damascene is a partnership between celebrated Cape winemaker Jean Smit, previously the winemaker at Boekenhoutskloof and David Curl, former owner of Château Gaby in Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux, now based at Moya Meaker in Elgin. Jean Smit is a rising star in SA winemaking and certainly a winemaker to watch. They seek out unique vineyards and sites across the Western Cape winelands and have created an exciting, pitch-perfect set of wines which are placed amongst the finest in SA. The debut wines were released in 2019, garnering much acclaim and excitement from both local and international wine critics.
The vineyard for the Damascene Cederberg Syrah was planted in 2006 on the oldest farm in the Cederberg, which dates back to 1790. High up on crumbling sandstone soils, the vines are rooted in the underlying ferricrete. At 940-metres above-sea-level this isolated pocket benefits from a wide diurnal range, cold nights are followed by warm days resulting in balanced grapes with a natural acidity and an intensity of flavour.
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Critics Ratings
'Matured in foudre. Dark berries, olive tapenade, black pepper and a little earthiness on the nose. The palate has dense fruit to go with a lovely line of acidity and tannins that are firm in the best sense, the finish super-savoury. Powerful without being weighty. Alcohol: 13.5%.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 96/100 (Oct 2020)
‘"You need to take your foot off the pedal with W.O. Cederberg Syrah," says Jean Smit, to avoid extracting too much tannin. Well, he's done that brilliantly in this bold, bloody, intense red, which has garrigue aromas, plenty of structure, high altitude freshness and a stony finish. 2023-30.’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2021, 95/100
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