The Fledge & Co. Souzao marks the 10th single-varietal bottling of this rare Portuguese grape in South Africa. The Fledge & Co. Souzao sources fruit from a small block on Doornbosch farm grown in deep red alluvial soils.
- Aroma: Ripe black hedgerow fruits, damson plum, warm spice, and hints of blackberry jam.
- Palate: Mellow black fruit, classic apricot and peach undertones, a subtle floral lift, and powdery cocoa-nib tannins.
- Finish: Bright spice paired with a chalky, savoury finish.
The team hand-harvests the grapes at dawn and crushes them into open-top cement fermenters (lagars). Following a cool fermentation with gentle manual pigeage, the wine presses to stainless steel tanks and two old 300L French oak hogsheads for malo-lactic fermentation. After blending barrel and tank components, they bottle the wine unfined and unfiltered with minimal yeast and sulfur additions. Serve lightly chilled and decant before enjoying. Pairs exceptionally well with char-grilled lamb chops on the braai, spicy Prego rolls, fresh sardines over coals, free-range peri-peri chicken, or rustic farm cuisine. Cellar for several years to enjoy its evolving complexity.