Score: 96

"A sleek, integrated red, with a generous core of ripe black raspberry and mulberry fruit flavors. This is well-spiced and fragrant, with clove, espresso, violet and rosemary notes, plus a minerally underpinning of stone and iron. There's muscular power, but it's more the trim and limber grace of a gymnast than that of a powerlifter. Long and mouthwatering on the finish. Syrah. Best from 2026 through 2039. 1,500 cases made, 125 cases imported."-Alison Napjus

December 2001

Score: 99

Given its consistently outstanding quality, it's easy to forget that the average age of Porseleinberg's 14 hectares of vineyards is only seven years' old. Showing what Callie Louw calls a "little more crunch" in 2021, this is a Syrah with time on its side. Wild herb aromas of sage, oregano and rosemary introduce you to a palate that's dense yet refined, with lots of whole bunch spice and structure, negligible oak influence, detailed, layered tannins, some underlying grip and layers of dark berry fruit. One of the world's great reds from a very special site.

May 2023

Score: 97

"The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect?"-NM

August 2023