Darling Cellars, Black Granite Shiraz, 2023

Grapes

Shiraz

Vintage report

Darling sits on South Africa's West Coast, cooled by Atlantic breezes that give its Syrah and Chenin Blanc a freshness you don't always find further inland. The 2023 growing season was broadly favourable across the Western Cape, with good winter rainfall replenishing dam levels after several difficult, drought-stressed years, and a growing season that stayed relatively moderate without the brutal heat spikes that have periodically tormented harvests in this part of the world. Darling's coastal position helped it absorb warmth without losing acidity, and growers we've spoken to describe a season with good fruit set and no major disease pressure to speak of.

The result is a vintage that feels poised rather than overblown — wines with genuine fruit concentration but enough freshness to keep them lively. Syrah from this corner of the Cape looks particularly strong, with the kind of savoury grip and dark fruit that defines what Darling does best. Chenin Blanc shows bright, focused fruit without the weight that warmer years can bring. Most wines are drinking well now, though the better reds will reward another two to four years in the cellar.