With 135 acres of vineyards scattered over the hills of their mountainside estate, Wendy and Hylton Applebaum sustain banks of the indigenous flora among their gardens and their vines. This syrah, from their more modest DMZ label, is grown on the estate in Stellenbosch Kloof. It fermented with a small percentage of whole clusters and without added yeast, then aged in a combination of vessels, from French oak barrels to large foudres and cement tanks. Give it plenty of air and you'll find the cracked black peppercorn scent of syrah expanding into a deep purple fruit through a cool, clean finish. An intriguing red for lamb. Cape Classics, NY
February 2015