KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"The 2022 Syrah comes from a selection of vineyards, mostly from Elgin but with some fruit from Stanford. It includes 50% whole cluster and was aged in large oak barrels. This has an open, complex bouquet with red cherries, bergamot and light ferrous scents, gaining mineralité in the glass. Hints of violet emerge with time. Fresh and saline, the palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, revealing a dash of white pepper and clove toward the precise finish. Superb. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2024), 94 pts

"Dominated by grapes from Elgin, with a smaller Stanford component, this is the sort of
Syrah that you want to drink by the bottle. Fifty per cent whole bunches add some perfume
and texture to a palate of subtle vanilla spice from 15% new oak and layers of white pepper,
bramble, liquorice and red cherry. 2025-30"

- Tim Atkin (SA Special Report 2024), 93 pts

"Popping with bright red florals and notes of crushed red berries, the 2021 Syrah is fresh, elegant and focused. Medium-bodied and with 13% alcohol, the palate displays fine-grained tannins with bright, crunchy red fruit flavors before displaying elegance and grace. The wine continues to uncoil, offering seductive, spicy elements with soft notes of turned earth and a delightful savory note. 15,000 bottles were produced after the wine rested for 11 months in 15% new oak barrels. - Anthony Mueller"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (December 29th 2023), 94+ pts

"Black tea, cracked pepper, bramble berries and olives on the nose, followed by a medium-bodied, savory and peppery palate. Sleek tannins. Salty olive notes linger. Drink now or hold. - Claire NESBITT."

- James SUCKLING (August 6th 2024), 92 pts

"The 2020 Syrah starts with a firm, fresh, rustic frame with subtly spiced mineral essence. Notes of dusty purple flowers, savory wild herbs and plum blossom are expressed before seductive cherry aromas sway from the glass. Medium-bodied, the Syrah is fresh, focused and delightfully expressive, showing a succulent and youthful frame with balanced tannins and energetic acidity. The wine will continue to deliver pleasure for years to come. - Anthony Mueller"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (December 29th 2023), 94 pts

"The 2020 Syrah comes from donated fruit from Stellenbosch, Constantia and Swartland, plus bought in fruit from Elgin and Walker Bay. This includes 50% whole bunch with 11 months ageing in barrel. It has a headier bouquet than the CWG Syrah tasted alongside, scents of boysenberry and bilberry fruit, perhaps more floral in style and very well focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a eucalyptus note on the entry, plenty of grip and weight, just a soupçon of opulence with a pastille-like finish. Very fine. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2024), 92 pts

"Inviting aromas of crushed red cherries, plums, wild herbs, grated nutmeg and wet stone. Medium-bodied with silky tannins. Juicy, fresh and nicely balanced with very good transparency and clarity. Drink now."

- James SUCKLING (October 20th 2022), 92 pts

"This Cape South Coast Syrah marries grapes from Greyton and mostly Elgin. Fermented with 50% whole bunches and aged in older wood, it's peppery, spicy and youthful, with grippy tannins, taut acidity and layers of red cherry, fynbos and blackberry fruit. 2023-28"

- Tim Atkin (South Africa Special Report 2021), 92 pts

"The 2018 Syrah has an intense, peppermint-scented nose, quite pure and floral; wild fennel and sage aromas percolate through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and grippy, with fine tannins and a minty finish. I just feel this needs a little more class and sophistication. While not occupying the same ethereal space as the Estate Reserve Syrah, this should give immense pleasure over the next decade. - Neal Martin"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 90 pts

"The 2017 Syrah comes from Elgin and Greyton and includes 40% whole-bunch fruit aged in 500- and 700-liter barrels (30% new). It has a gorgeous bouquet of raspberry, pomegranate, burning embers and crushed violet aromas that seem to give the olfactory senses a big hug. The palate is quite brilliantly balanced, the fine tannins framing vivid brambly red and black fruit laced with cracked black pepper, dessicated orange peel, clove and an undercurrent of garrigue that becomes more prominent on the persistent finish. A fabulous Syrah from proprietor and winemaker Samantha O’Keefe. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 95 pts

Go to Lismore Syrah

"Greyton and Elgin are the joint sources of this delicious Syrah from one of the best exponents of the grape in South Africa. Explosively aromatic with violet and rose petal perfume, red cherry and raspberry fruit, subtle oak and some underlying grip from 50% whole bunches. Wonderfully, lip-smackingly drinkable. 2020-25"
- Tim Atkin (SA Special Report 2020), 94 pts

"This is a very balanced and refined syrah with Cote-Rotie tendencies and vibe. Medium body and fine tannins with subtle berry, tea and dried-meat character. Very long and refined. Drink now."

- James SUCKLING (February 14th 2022), 93 pts

"On the nose, the 2017 Syrah begins with a dark-fruited core of blackberry, black cherry and a rustic rocky minerality with a soft spiciness. The palate shows remarkable focus and expresses the heart of Syrah with spicy floral potpourri notes across the mid-palate. The finish is long and thoughtful with a youthful tannic grip and lingering flavors of black pepper with smoky herbs. It is an impressive wine and is sure to please. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #245, October 2019), 92 pts

Go to Lismore Syrah

"Silky and sappy, with layers of fruit and spice that unfurl as each sip glides across the palate. Forest floor and leather like a baseball mitt are intertwined with blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, orange pith, springtime flowers just after the rain, and a savory pulse of mineral through the mouthwatering finish. - Brian FREEDMAN"
- Food & Wine (The 42 Best Syrahs to Buy Right Now, June 11th 2021)

"Samantha O’Keefe, a Los Angeles native, moved to South Africa in 2000 and settled in the Overberg district at the foot of the Riviersonderend Mountains. Her Lismore winery is currently the only producer in Greyton, one of the region’s newest appellations. More may follow after a taste of this peppery cool-climate syrah. Scents of blueberries and blackberries invite a sip, then notes of beef broth, dried herbs and tobacco follow. O’Keefe fermented it with 40 percent whole clusters in large oak casks, then extended its time on the skins before mellowing the intensity over nine months in a 3,000-liter oak vat. The wine has a touch of oak spice and vanilla bean yet it feels graceful from start to finish."
- Wine & Spirits Magazine (November 2019), 95 pts

"The 2015 has sold out so quickly that Sam O’Keefe is already on to the 2016, which is every bit as good and less funky. Bloody, rich and stony, this is focused, concentrated and well balanced, showing a lick of new oak, dark, brooding fruit flavours and a twist of white pepper. 2019-26. - Tim Atkin"
- Tim Atkin Master of Wine (SA Special Report 2016), 95 pts+ REDS - WINES OF THE YEAR 2017

Go to Lismore Syrah

"The 2016 Syrah, half each from Elgin and Greyton, includes 40% whole cluster fruit and was matured in 50% new oak. It has a perfumed bouquet of mulberry, blueberry and crushed iris aromas, quite Côte-Rôtie in style and certainly very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin and good grip in the mouth, and quite saline in style (especially in the second half), with just a hint of Japanese nori infiltrating the red fruit toward the finish. This is very refined and feels very persistent in the mouth, although it clearly needs a couple of years in bottle. Excellent. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2018), 93 pts

Go to Lismore Syrah

"Vibrant raspberry, blueberry and red cherry aromas leap from the glass of this elegant and refined Syrah, with faint hints of iris petals and thin mint for added depth. The palate is smooth and silky, with fine, well-integrated tannins and lively, saline-inflected freshness that keeps the palate lifted and the finish vibrant and enduring. Pepper and cola-like spice unfolds on the close. - Lauren BUZZEO"
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2019), 91 pts

Go to Lismore Syrah

"A richly expressive Syrah made of half estate fruit and half purchased fruit from Elgin. Pure plum, black raspberry and a touch of mulberry, it’s full in the mouth with good acidity and firm tannins on the finish. 40% whole bunch fermented and matured in oak vessels of diverse sizes. Samantha also showed us a barrel sample of her 2017 estate Syrah that was quite different—high toned, bright, perfumed, focused and elegant, more in a Northern Rhone style. An amazing Syrah!"
- International Wine Review (February 2018), 91 pts

Go to Lismore Syrah

"This is 50% own fruit and 50% Elgin. When she has enough she will bottle some of her own fruit separately as it is so distinctive and floral. Mostly neutral oak but about 25% new (500 litre always).
Mid cherry red. It does still have a scented Côte Rôtie delicacy not only in the fruit character but also in the finest of tannic textures. More spice on the palate and there is such a lightness of touch here that the marked persistence comes as a surprise. This is a Pinot-esque Syrah though the tannins are Syrah texture. Drink 2018-2026"
- Jancis Robison, "New Wave South Africa tasting" (October 2017)

Go to Lismore Syrah