KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"This Cape South Coast Syrah marries grapes from Greyton and mostly Elgin. Fermented with 50% whole bunches and aged in older wood, it's peppery, spicy and youthful, with grippy tannins, taut acidity and layers of red cherry, fynbos and blackberry fruit. 2023-28"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa Special Report 2021), 92 pts

"The 2018 Syrah has an intense, peppermint-scented nose, quite pure and floral; wild fennel and sage aromas percolate through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and grippy, with fine tannins and a minty finish. I just feel this needs a little more class and sophistication. While not occupying the same ethereal space as the Estate Reserve Syrah, this should give immense pleasure over the next decade. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 90 pts

"The 2017 Syrah comes from Elgin and Greyton and includes 40% whole-bunch fruit aged in 500- and 700-liter barrels (30% new). It has a gorgeous bouquet of raspberry, pomegranate, burning embers and crushed violet aromas that seem to give the olfactory senses a big hug. The palate is quite brilliantly balanced, the fine tannins framing vivid brambly red and black fruit laced with cracked black pepper, dessicated orange peel, clove and an undercurrent of garrigue that becomes more prominent on the persistent finish. A fabulous Syrah from proprietor and winemaker Samantha O’Keefe. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 95 pts

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"Greyton and Elgin are the joint sources of this delicious Syrah from one of the best exponents of the grape in South Africa. Explosively aromatic with violet and rose petal perfume, red cherry and raspberry fruit, subtle oak and some underlying grip from 50% whole bunches. Wonderfully, lip-smackingly drinkable. 2020-25"
- Tim Atkin (SA Special Report 2020), 94 pts

"On the nose, the 2017 Syrah begins with a dark-fruited core of blackberry, black cherry and a rustic rocky minerality with a soft spiciness. The palate shows remarkable focus and expresses the heart of Syrah with spicy floral potpourri notes across the mid-palate. The finish is long and thoughtful with a youthful tannic grip and lingering flavors of black pepper with smoky herbs. It is an impressive wine and is sure to please. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 92 pts

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"Silky and sappy, with layers of fruit and spice that unfurl as each sip glides across the palate. Forest floor and leather like a baseball mitt are intertwined with blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, orange pith, springtime flowers just after the rain, and a savory pulse of mineral through the mouthwatering finish. - Brian FREEDMAN"
- Food & Wine (The 42 Best Syrahs to Buy Right Now, June 11th 2021)

"Samantha O’Keefe, a Los Angeles native, moved to South Africa in 2000 and settled in the Overberg district at the foot of the Riviersonderend Mountains. Her Lismore winery is currently the only producer in Greyton, one of the region’s newest appellations. More may follow after a taste of this peppery cool-climate syrah. Scents of blueberries and blackberries invite a sip, then notes of beef broth, dried herbs and tobacco follow. O’Keefe fermented it with 40 percent whole clusters in large oak casks, then extended its time on the skins before mellowing the intensity over nine months in a 3,000-liter oak vat. The wine has a touch of oak spice and vanilla bean yet it feels graceful from start to finish."
- Wine & Spirits Magazine (November 2019), 95 pts

"The 2015 has sold out so quickly that Sam O’Keefe is already on to the 2016, which is every bit as good and less funky. Bloody, rich and stony, this is focused, concentrated and well balanced, showing a lick of new oak, dark, brooding fruit flavours and a twist of white pepper. 2019-26. - Tim Atkin"
- Tim Atkin Master of Wine (SA Special Report 2016), 95 pts+ REDS - WINES OF THE YEAR 2017

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"The 2016 Syrah, half each from Elgin and Greyton, includes 40% whole cluster fruit and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a perfumed bouquet of mulberry, blueberry and crushed iris aromas, quite Côte-Rôtie in style and certainly very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin and good grip in the mouth, and quite saline in style (especially in the second half), with just a hint of Japanese nori infiltrating the red fruit toward the finish. This is very refined and feels very persistent in the mouth, although it clearly needs a couple of years in bottle. Excellent. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2018), 93 pts

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"Vibrant raspberry, blueberry and red cherry aromas leap from the glass of this elegant and refined Syrah, with faint hints of iris petals and thin mint for added depth. The palate is smooth and silky, with fine, well-integrated tannins and lively, saline-inflected freshness that keeps the palate lifted and the finish vibrant and enduring. Pepper and cola-like spice unfolds on the close. - Lauren BUZZEO"
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2019), 91 pts

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"A richly expressive Syrah made of half estate fruit and half purchased fruit from Elgin. Pure plum, black raspberry and a touch of mulberry, it’s full in the mouth with good acidity and firm tannins on the finish. 40% whole bunch fermented and matured in oak vessels of diverse sizes. Samantha also showed us a barrel sample of her 2017 estate Syrah that was quite different—high toned, bright, perfumed, focused and elegant, more in a Northern Rhone style. An amazing Syrah!"
- International Wine Review (February 2018), 91 pts

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"This is 50% own fruit and 50% Elgin. When she has enough she will bottle some of her own fruit separately as it is so distinctive and floral. Mostly neutral oak but about 25% new (500 litre always).
Mid cherry red. It does still have a scented Côte Rôtie delicacy not only in the fruit character but also in the finest of tannic textures. More spice on the palate and there is such a lightness of touch here that the marked persistence comes as a surprise. This is a Pinot-esque Syrah though the tannins are Syrah texture. Drink 2018-2026"
- Jancis Robison, "New Wave South Africa tasting" (October 2017)

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"If the 2014 Lismore Syrah was noteworthy - the 2012 and 2013 were not released - then this is even better. Deeply coloured and highly perfumed, with stony, granitic, liquorice, black pepper and tapenade notes, complemented by fynbos aromas, granular tannins, subtle oak and pithy acidity. Exceptional winemaking. Drink: 2017-25."
- Tim Atkin Master of Wine (SA Special Report 2016), 95 pts

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"Bright ruby-red. Slightly liqueur-like ripeness to the brooding aromas of blackberry, cassis, black pepper, dusty herbs and black olive. Plush, dense and very ripe in a distinctly primary, classically dry style. A rather powerful, brooding, youthfully clenched wine with pungent peppery lift to its dark berry, olive tapenade and violet flavors. A bit youthfully brutal, with tongue- and toothdusting tannins that call for patience. Give this at least another year or two to harmonize. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (May 2017), 90+ pts

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"Medium-intense black cherry and brambly berry aromas set the stage for this lushly fruited red, with supporting tones of cocoa, tea leaf and tree bark. Clean and well-balanced, the medium-weight palate offers ample acidity and soft, accessible tannins. Drink now–2021."
- Wine Enthusiast (April 2018), 90 pts

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"The Syrah 2014 from Greyton property is breath-taking. Involving 40% whole-bunch fermentation, winemaker Samantha O’Keefe initially put the wine into barrique but anxious that she would lose the wine’s perfume, almost immediately transferred it to a 3 000-litre vat, where it matured for six months.
It shows red and black fruit, fynbos, white pepper and a particular coriander seed note. Pure and fresh with lovely fine tannins – small but perfectly formed, as they say."
- Wine Mag (September 17th 2015), 95 pts

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"The 2014 Syrah is 40% whole bunch fermented and matured in older, small barrel and then transferred into 3,000-liter fermenters for six months to capture the aromatics. It has a fascinating nose, very floral and expressive, with cranberry, rose petals, marmalade and white fennel that you would swear comes from some old Rhône. Fabulous. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a little tighter than the aromatics, and brimming over with character. There is fruit here, but the smorgasbord of Provençal white fennel, sage and fynbos is all over the place. This is one of the best Syrahs I have encountered from South Africa. - Neal Martin"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (November 2015), 94 pts
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