Fairview label celebrates 50 years, introduces Lanner Hill Syrah from the Darling Hills

Charles Back, third-generation owner of Fairview. Image supplied

Since then, Fairview has experienced an extraordinary development from a family farm to a brand internationally known for its wine, cheese and tourism.

Throughout all the exciting changes at Fairview over 50 years, one unwavering constant has been Fairview’s commitment to and passion for Shiraz, the backbone of the Fairview range of wines.

Shiraz has always been a flagship variety for Fairview, carrying with it a special heritage and significance. It is Fairview’s most planted varietal in terms of vineyard hectares.

Fairview’s Shiraz wines and Shiraz-led red blends, featuring in almost all of their ranges, have led the way in racking up numerous prestigious wine awards, confirming Fairview’s position as a Shiraz-producing jewel in the Cape Winelands.

Most recent awards include a Platter’s 2024 Five Stars and Wine of the Year award (in the Red Blends Shiraz/Syrah-based category) for the flagship Fairview Cyril Back 2020, and a Five Star accolade for the Fairview Caldera 2021 (a Shiraz-led Southern Rhône-style blend).

Shiraz also happens to be cellarmaster Anthony De Jager’s favourite grape.

Anthony De Jager, Fairview Cellarmaster. Image supplied

“It is the diversity and versatility of Shiraz that excites me the most. Shiraz resonates a sense of place few varieties can match.

Proudly owning vineyards in Paarl, Darling, Swartland and Stellenbosch, we also venture out further into the Western Cape’s wine regions, choosing to ‘go where the terroir is’, in a quest to discover more extraordinary vineyards to expand our wine offering. This exploration has given us access to an exciting range of climates, topography, soils and extraordinary Shiraz vineyards from which to forge our prized range of Single Vineyard Shirazes.

Using only selected hand-picked and pressed grapes from older vineyards, the wines in the Single Vineyard range are terroir driven, each with their own unique story to tell, each expressing the uniqueness of their respective terroirs in terms of taste and flavour.”

Lanner Hill Syrah from the Darling Hills

Always innovative and adventurous, Fairview was one of the first wine farms to pursue the single vineyard concept. The Fairview Single Vineyard Eenzaamheid Shiraz (from Paarl) and the Fairview Single Vineyard The Beacon Shiraz (from Swartland) both saw their debut in 2000.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Fairview Shiraz and to further showcase the versatility of Shiraz, a third Single Vineyard Shiraz has been added to the Fairview Single Vineyard range, the new cool climate Lanner Hill Syrah from the Darling Hills.

Fairview Lanner Hill 2021 Shiraz scored 95 points by Christian Eedes of Winemag.co.za. Image supplied

Fairview’s Single Vineyard Shiraz range: The Beacon Shiraz from the Swartland, Eenzaamheid Shiraz from Paarl and the new Lanner Hill Syrah from the cool climate Darling Hills

De Jager continues, “Shiraz vineyards from ‘warmer’ areas like Paarl and Swartland, often tend to display riper dark berry fruit with a lush profile, however topography, soils, the vines themselves and vintage all play a significant role in determining flavour profiles. Shiraz vineyards from cool climate terroir like the Darling Hills however produce wines with elegance and gorgeous spice, bright red fruit notes and a leaner profile, reminiscent of the Northern Rhône style — thus the name Lanner Hill Syrah as opposed to Shiraz.”

“Fairview’s three Single Vineyard Shirazes, The Beacon, Eenzaamheid and the new Lanner Hill are all vintage 2021, but each offers its own genuine sense of place and identity, each sharing the most honest expression of the fruit of the vine. While The Beacon and the Eenzaamheid vineyards are dry-farmed vines of a similar age (planted in 1995 and 1996 respectively) only 5km apart, they are vastly different wines.

The Beacon vineyard is all bush vines growing on an extreme site, an elevated north-west facing rocky outcrop of ancient metamorphic shale, confronting howling winds. The unirrigated bush vines have to battle through large, flat, grey shale stone, the roots clawing their way deep beneath the rock in search of moisture and nutrients. The bunches and berries are very small with intense concentration and depth, and the vines are pruned to bear a small crop, producing a brooding wine with gravitas, a wine of distinction.

The Eenzaamheid vineyard however is immaculately trellised, and the rich red soils are deep and fertile with excellent water retention, allowing the unirrigated vines to easily ripen the crop without stressing during the hot, dry summers. The berries are bigger and offer sublime rich fruit concentration. The cool climate Lanner Hill vineyard is dryland trellised vines, growing in nutrient-rich oakleaf soils.

The sea breeze off the nearby icy Atlantic Ocean cools down the fruit in the afternoon, allowing the grapes to ripen gradually and develop the distinct spicy character typical of the Darling Hills terroir.”

“We are very proud that Christian Eedes of Winemag.co.za has scored the Fairview Lanner Hill 2021 Shiraz 95 points, stating, ‘The Fairview cellar has long championed Syrah and the Lanner Hill 2021 is a cracker… The nose shows red and black berries, blood orange, violets, lavender and fynbos while the palate is succulent and fresh with fine tannins – plush and juicy on entry but ends wonderfully dry.’"

The grapes were picked between 22,5 and 23,5 degrees Balling to capture the cool climate and fresh style of the wine. Whole bunch clusters (20%) — for increased freshness, mouthfeel, complexity and elegance — were placed at the bottom of a 50hl foudre (large open French oak fermenter), with the balance of the destemmed grapes added on top. Fermentation was allowed to start naturally with the indigenous yeast from the vineyard. Punch downs and pump overs took place three times daily for 10 days before pressing.

Malolactic fermentation occurred in older French oak barrels. The wine spent a total of 18 months in oak before final barrel selection was made. The wine was bottled with minimal stabilisation and filtration.