By Rose Murray Brown MW   Published in The Scotsman 14 March 2026

When Cape winemaker Sam Lambson decided to set up his own winery last year, he did something very unusual.

Not only did he locate it in the city as an urban winery, based in an old textile and printing warehouse in Cape Town’s attractive Gardens district, but Lambson also decided to focus on just one grape, Syrah – hence his winery’s name, Minimalist Wines.

Cape Syrah has progressed in leaps and bounds in the last two decades, although the first varietal Syrah was made back in the 1960s by Delheim Estate.  Today it has become a very popular grape, with more Syrah planted than Pinotage, although Cabernet Sauvignon is Cape’s most planted red.

Top class old bushvine Syrah is made across the Cape from Swartland to Cape Agulhas resembling more Rhone-like styles than Australian.   Top Syrahs are made by wineries like Boekenhoutskloof, Sons of Sugarland, Porseleinberg, Mullineux, Richard Kershaw, Rall – and now Minimalist Wines is up there amongst the best.

“I fell in love with Syrah working at Domaine du Coulet in Cornas, in France’s Rhone Valley; there is such a generational knowledge there about growing Syrah, not found in the Cape”, explained Lambson.  “I returned to South Africa with an appreciation for Syrah’s value, inspired to make the most of Cape’s extreme diverse terroirs”.

Like many of his peers, Lambson makes Syrah from three different areas – Elgin, Stellenbosch and Cape Agulhas.  “We find Elgin gives dark plummy & black cardamon Syrah, Polkadraai Hills area of Stellenbosch gives more black pepper character, whereas Cape Agulhas gives softer silkier white pepper and saline notes from its close proximity to the ocean”, he says.

Minimalist’s winemaking methods include whole bunch fermentation.  Lambson believes that Syrah on stems works very well, adding freshness and aromatics, something he learnt in France.  For his fermentation and maturing he uses both concrete vats (he loves concrete) and neutral 225 & 300 litre oak barrels.

What I like about newcomer Lambson’s winemaking is his incredibly gentle touch.  Minimalist’s Syrahs are some of the most elegant I have tasted from this grape in the Cape.

“In South Africa we can get more breadth and power than in the Rhone”, explained Lambson, “but we also get aromatic complexity and spicier notes in cooler microclimates like Elgin and Cape Agulhas.  My next plan is to make single vineyard Stellenbosch Syrah to accentuate that pepper character”.  Watch this space

CAPE SYRAH

Cape Agulhas: MINIMALIST WINES, STARS IN THE DARK SYRAH 2023 ***STAR BUY***

£29 The Wine Society; £38.95 Sugarbird, Aberdeen

Cool sea breezes here give the wine a mouthwatering sapidity; soft silky in texture, elegant fruits, fine-grained tannins with salt and white pepper notes, saline finish and lovely length.

Elgin: MINIMALIST WINES, NO PLACE LIKE HOME SYRAH 2023

£38.95 Sugarbird, Aberdeen

Typical Elgin Syrah with its darker denser plummier fruit, more grippy tannins, elegant, direct and complex; needs time in bottle to soften, will be good in time.

Elgin: RICHARD KERSHAW CLONAL SELECTION SYRAH 2017

(£47.50 Wine Republic; £46 Hic! Wine)

British ex-pat Richard Kershaw MW’s Syrah comes from five small vineyard parcels on Bokkeveld shale, gravel and cartref soils; bright raspberry fruit nose, subtle, fine tannins, white pepper, complex.

 

Swartland: THE FOUNDRY SYRAH VOOR PAARDEBERG 2021

£18 The Wine Society; £20 Lockett Bros; Fine Wine Portobello

Tightly packed, but with some air it was attractively aromatic with dense blackcurrant fruit and lightly smoky notes; made by Chris Williams who uses 25% whole bunch to give the herbal notes.

Swartland/Franschhoek: BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF SYRAH 2022 ***STAR BUY***

£38.50 Waitrose; £39 Majestic Wine; The Wine Society

Fine example from the top Syrah specialists.  This is a blend of two of their vineyards Porseleinberg and Goldmine aged in Austrian oak for 18 months; great tension, fine tannins with dark olive character.

Swartland: RALL SYRAH 2023

£26.50 The Wine Society

Donovan Rall makes an incredibly deep dark intense savoury example from Syrah grown on his schist-based vineyard; very appealing dark fruits with lovely freshness on the finish.

 

Stellenbosch: DAMASCENE SYRAH 2023

£43.95 Lea & Sandeman

Rich intense concentrated beautifully focused Syrah from coastal Stellenbosch, matured in large foudres; rosemary & herb notes, hot spice and perfume with a dark olive savoury finish.

 

Join Rose’s Wine Tasting/Book signing at Waterstones, Princes Street, Edinburgh at 7pm on Thurs 14 May (tickets from £5) www.waterstones.com