2019 Boekenhoutskloof, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Critics reviews
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch has a little more delineation and precision than its Franschhoek counterpart, offering ebullient blackberry and briar mixed with a touch of dark chocolate. The lightly spiced palate is medium-bodied with better structure and good density and grip toward the dark-chocolate- and espresso-tinged finish. A classy and quite sophisticated Cabernet.
Drink 2023 - 2040
Neal Martin, vinous.com (Nov 2021)
This superb, ageworthy cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon with 5% Cabernet Franc hails from three vineyards on the Helderberg and one in the Polkadraai Hils. Violet and thyme aromas lead into a structured palate of cassis and dried herbs, with intense tannins and fine 75% new wood.
Drink 2023 - 2035
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com (Dec 2021)
About this WINE
Boekenhoutskloof Winery
Boekenhoutskloof is one of the most celebrated of all South African wineries and was indeed voted Winery of the Year 2012 by the influential South African journalist John Platter. Created in 1776 and situated in a remote corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Valley, the estate‘s recent fame dates only from 1993 when new owners completely restored the vineyard and established new plantings of varietals such as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Viognier.
The driving force here is winemaker Marc Kent, a maverick genius with an unswerving commitment to the highest quality in all that he does. The winery is better known for its reds, especially Syrah and Cabernet, but also makes a stunning white from the Semillon grape amongst a small range of whites.
One of the most iconic wines of Boekenhoutskloof is the famed Chocolate Block, a red blend which changes every year according to the vagaries of the vintage, but is largely based on Syrah. The source of the wine’s name remains a mystery, as the estate’s owners refuse to divulge its origin, but the key point is that the wine is sublime.
Franschhoek
Franschhoek wine region lies to the west of Stellenbosch in a fertile valley surrounded by the Drakenstein Mountains. The town of Frankschoek was founded by fleeing French Huguenots in 1688, who brought along their winemaking traditions and vines. Franschhoek's warm, temperate climate is perfectly suited to the production of powerful, saturated red wines and concentrated, fruit-driven white wines. The most prominent grapes in the region are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Today it remains very much a boutique wine region with smallholding producers.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
Wonderful, lifted aromas of cassis, eucalyptus, fresh blackberries and sweet, toasted oak. A sumptuous palate, with plenty of compact fruit; blackberry again, dark plum and a touch of tarte cherry. There are also layers of dark chocolate, tobacco leaf and fresh leather here, completing a pleasantly complex profile. Fresh acidity provides balance and there are chewy tannins here to add structure and longevity.
Drink 2022 - 2030
Dominic Goddard-Smith, Senior Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (Feb 2022)
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