Lomond Wines Romans Bay SMV 2022
£11.75
The wine
An elegant blend offering notes of juicy red fruits with spice, floral and black fruit notes and a whiff of smoky complexity. Savoury tones on the palate mingle with dark chocolate and a touch of spice, through to a long, harmonious finish.
SMV is Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier, a southern Rhône combination. Co-fermenting a little white Viognier with Syrah is a Côte-Rôtie tradition that stabilises colour and lifts the aromatics, while Mourvedre brings the savoury, meaty depth and firm tannin. In a maritime climate this cool the result stays fresh rather than heavy.
The producer
Lomond Wines
View all Lomond Wines winesLomond was established in 1999 on the Agulhas Plain near the southernmost tip of Africa, eight kilometres from the fishing village of Gansbaai and within sight of the sea. It takes its name from the Ben Lomond mountain in the Uilenkraal valley above it.
Cape Agulhas is the true southern tip of the continent and the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, which makes this among the coolest and windiest viticulture in South Africa. Sea air moves across the vineyards constantly, slowing ripening and giving Sauvignon Blanc an intensity and a distinct saline, oyster-shell character that inland regions cannot produce.
The estate sits within a conservation area of fynbos, the extraordinarily biodiverse shrubland unique to this corner of the world, and several wines are named after the plants that grow among the vines: pincushion protea, conebush. Cellar master Anné van Heerden works single blocks separately across the property rather than blending the estate into one house style.
