Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch 

Location: Annandale Road, Lynedoch.

Winemaker: Rianie Strydom

Background: Haskell Vineyards lies at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain range and since they were established in 2002, their emphasis has been to create unique, terroir-driven wines that would express the finest of the style produced in the Cape. This was achieved within the first 12 months of operation, when Haskell was awarded a Platter Wine Guide 5-star for their Pillars Shiraz 2007. They were also the first South African winery since the inception of the Tri-Nations Challenge to win Best Syrah, Best Red Wine and Best Wine of Show in the 2009 competition, where the finest wines of South Africa are challenged against the best from Australia and New Zealand.

At a recent tasting, winemaker Rianie Strydom introduced the new vintages, including the eminently superb Haskell SVS (Syrah Vineyard Series) Aeon 2011. The weather conditions for the 2011 vintage was hot and dry which resulted in smaller berry size in the grapes but gave the wine intense colour, soft tannins and excellent structure. Post fermentation the wine settled for 14 months in barrel (30 percent new) prior to bottling.