KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"Syrah lovers could spend a long time discussing the relative merits of Alex Starey's single parcel Syrahs. I have a very slight preference for Topside in 2018, partly because its cooler terroir on Stellenbosch Mountain was well suited to the drought conditions of the vintage. Restrained, focused and built to age in bottle, it has sage and oregano perfume, savoury tannins, refreshing acidity and minerality and flavours of plum, raspberry, red cherry and tobacco leaf. 2025-32"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2023 Report), 97 pts

"Topside is all made with the 470 clone and hails from a single vineyard with a westerly aspect that sees very little sunshine in the mornings. Denser and firmer than its stablemate Steepside, this a dark, inky, brooding Syrah with fig, damson and Asian spice flavours and lots of stony grip. 2025-35"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2022 Report), 96 pts

"The 2017 Syrah Single Vineyard Series Topside is slightly brighter and more vivid on the nose compared to the Steepside with red cherries, crushed strawberry and just a light dab of dark chocolate. The oak is neatly integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy opening, very well balanced with a judicious touch of white pepper that becomes more prominent on the finish. - Neal Martin"

- Antoinio Galloni's Vinous (September 2022), 94 pts

"Aromas of red cherry, wet stone and crushed thyme. Medium-bodied with silky, slightly tight tannins. Subtle and nuanced, with nice transparency and clarity. Crunchy and lingering. Drink now."

- James Suckling (November 2022), 91  pts

 

 

- Wine Enthusiast (October 2023), 90 pts

"The counterpoint to Steepside, which is planted on granite, Topside comes from a westfacing, dry land parcel at 380 metres on sandstone soils and shows the intensity and concentration of its windy site. Dense, grippy and powerful, it's the Cornas in the Keermont range with lots of spice and dark damson and blackberry fruit and plenty of grip. 2022-30"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2020 Report), 94 pts

"The 2015 Topside Syrah comes from dry-farmed vines on decomposed granite and sandstone soils at 350-400 meters above sea level. It spent 20 months maturing in seasoned 500-liter French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration. It has a perfumed, Côte-Rôtie-like bouquet of detailed blackberry, briar and light iris aromas, and just a little chalkiness in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannin, a fine line of acidity and a linear, structured, gently grippy finish with hints of Provençal herbs on the sustained aftertaste. An outstanding Syrah from Keermont. - Neal Martin"

- Vinous (August 29th 2018), 94 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"Unblended, the 2015 Topside Syrah is fresh and dusty on the nose with soft, black fruit expression and a fine, black-spice edge. The medium to full-bodied palate has a dusty, varietally correct expression with a soft grip of tannins and a mineral edge with sandy, black pepper tones. It finishes long with lingering, dusty mineral notes. The Topside vineyard is situated on a hill opposite the Steepside vineyard. 2,541 bottles were made."

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue # 256, October 2019), 93 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"A very freshly styled, peppery Syrah revealing plum, raspberry and fynbos aromas. Spicy red fruit and vibrant acidity show on the palate with fine, gripping tannins. Fermented in concrete and stainless steel and matured in mostly 500L neutral barrels for about 22 months. 13.5% alc."

- International Wine Review (January 2019), 93 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"Topside is located on sandstone soils on the Stellenbosch Mountain. “Always a charmer”, as winemaker Alex Starey puts it, this is clove and white pepper scented, focused and well balanced. A bit of whole bunch fermentation adds another dimension to the sweet violet, raspberry and bramble flavours. Drink: 2017-23"

- Tim Atkin (September 2016), 95 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"The 2014 Topside Syrah is back after missing 2013 after gusts of wind ruined the flowering that year. It is matured in French oak for 20 months, employing around 30% new oak. It conveys a sense of confidence on the nose with upfront blackcurrant, raspberry coulis and subtle touches of blueberry developing in the glass, the oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, crisp acidity, a little tight at first, although it develops more harmony with aeration. Moderate length, this is very fine (as usual) from winemaker Alex Starey. - Neal Martin"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue # 230, April 2017), 93 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"(from a single vineyard on soil rich in sandstone): Bright dark red. Scented aromas of raspberry, lavender, tree bark, pepper and spices; I would have guessed that this contained some Mourvèdre. At once brambly and a bit high-toned in the mouth, offering a very suave grain and lovely inner-mouth floral/peppery lift to its raspberry and cranberry fruit flavors. Finishes with smooth tannins and piquant floral and spice notes.- Stephen Tanzer"

- Vinous (May 2017), 91 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"The 2012 Topside Syrah comes from west-facing slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountains at around 350-metres altitude on granite and sandstone soils. It is matured in 500-liter second-fill French oak for 20 months and bottled without filtration. it has a more exuberant bouquet compared to the Steepside, the fruit more sorbet-like and floral, with touches of candied orange peel and marmalade. The palate is succulent on the entry with great depth, supremely well-judged acidity and a structured finish that, like the Steepside, demands two or three years in bottle. Just 667 bottles produced (minus the one we drank, of course.)"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue # 215, October 2014), 94 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah

"(from vines planted on the rocky, west-facing slope of Stellenbosch Mountain in 2006; just a single used 500-liter barrel of this juice): Bright ruby-red. Scented, saline aromas of dark berries and crushed-rock minerality. Like liquid silk on the palate but with an urgent quality to its dark berry and flint flavors. Superb, slowly building finish shows firm, dusty tannins and piquant purple fruits and minerals. Comes across as sweeter than the Steepside Syrah but not better.- Stephen Tanzer"

- Vinous (June 2015), 92 pts

Go To Keermont Topside Syrah