Yo El Rey Wines 8:49 Syrah & Grenache Noir 2020

ABOUT THE WINE:

The first wine ever made for Yo El Rey was a Syrah & Grenache Noir blend. This is 70% Syrah from Stellenbosch, and 30% Grenache Noir from the Breedekloof. There were varying degrees of whole bunch maceration across several different fermentations done in plastic bins, and everything was then individually pressed to old oak barrels for about 11 months of ageing before being filtered before bottling. This is fuller bodied, with dark black fruits and all spice characteristics.

'8:49 is reference to a story my friend Tom once told me. He had visited his family friends in Stellenbosch, and after leaving, realised he had forgotten his Casio wristwatch there. Somehow, the family dog chewed the timepiece, and set the alarm for 8:49PM every night. So it became a ritual where his friends would switch off the alarm, and send him pictures of their meal, a glass of wine, a selfie of them cheersing. We all now have our alarms set for 8:49PM every night, and it's a wonderful reminded to be present for a second, and celebrate the people in your life that mean the most to you.'

ABOUT THE WINEMAKER:

Angelo’s journey into wine is an unlikely one. He enrolled at Stellenbosch University to study oenology, and subsequently failed his first year. That failure forced him to change his degree, but even in that moment, he felt a deep desire to pursue a career in wine. It was at Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch where he cut his teeth, and after moving to London to immerse himself in the wine industry in the city as a sommelier, he travelled to California to work a harvest with Pax Mahle in Sonoma, which was the catalyst for him starting Yo El Rey Wines in 2018.

Angelo works in a low-intervention style in the cellar, and as of 2023, is now working exclusively with négoce fruit farmed without any chemicals. He is extremely passionate about the South African wine scene, particularly the exciting new generation of winemakers coming into the fold. When he isn’t in the Cape producing his wines over harvest, he is in London, importing and distributing a handful of these growers to the U.K. trade.