"Very deep blackish crimson. Tobacco nose and savoury. Polished and tangy. Complete and pure (Marc Kent admits that this is much purer than anything he made). Savoury and appetising, it finishes very chewy, fresh and lively in the way we have come to associate, rightly or wrongly, with wine grown on schist."
17 points - Jancis Robinson
95 points - Tim Atkin
The 2016 vintage of Boekenhoutskloof Syrah is produced from 60% Syrah grapes from their Porseleinberg vineyards and 40% Syrah grapes from their second Swartland farm. The complex nose offers a brooding compote of dark berry fruit, black olives, perfume and spice. The blackberries, youngberries, brambles and violets of the nose follow through onto a full, round palate with intense notes of allspice, liquorice and black pepper. The mid-palate is concentrated and focused, yet austere and lithe at the same time. The wine is savoury, almost Rhône-like in style with integrated acidity and firm, fine-grained tannins to balance, offering structure and great ageability. The spicy finish endures with hints of cloves, nutmeg and cardamom and subtle garrigue nuances.
Located in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek valley, Boekenhoutskloof was established in 1776. The farm’s name means “ravine of the Boekenhout” (pronounced Book-n-Howed). In 1993 the farm and homestead was bought and restored and a new vineyard planting programme was established that now includes Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.
