Being named amongst the top South African wineries over a period of 10 years is quite a feather in the cap, but the team over at Boekenhoutskloof has grown used to the plaudits.

To stay at the forefront of the game, one must always look to improve. Marc Kent, effectively the MD of Boekenhoutskloof, is well aware of this, which is why he is so fond of a new project.

During the past decade, the winery has slowly but surely made headway into the Swartland, and now they’re in the process of acquiring a significant land presence in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde.

That’s in addition to their purchases of Porseleinberg, which they have established as a stand-alone brand (as well as the source for great volumes of syrah for the home winery in Franschhoek), and Goldmine, the farm on the slopes of Riebeekberg, and they’re hopeful the project should be finalised soon.

The 2017 maiden vintages of pinot and chardonnay under the new label have already been bottled, and Winemag believes they will be another bumper edition to the Boekenhoutskloof range:

The name of the project is Cap Maritime, and the deeply etched and sand-blasted bottles, sealed with wax, show what appear to be the three ships of Jan van Riebeek in full sail…

As for the maiden release – I’ve had a preview and the two wines are excellent. The Pinot is typical of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in its perfumed charm – less firmly structured by tannin than pinots from the other wards, especially the one closer to the Hermanus mouth of the valley. It has lovely pure fruit, again downplaying the savoury side. There’s real intensity and depth of flavour. No problem in predicting a reasonable future for the wine, though it’s approachable now.

The Chardonnay is perhaps even finer, subtly showing all shades of citrus fruit, delicate but not without force, very refined, with a great vein of acidity and a long mineral-stony finish.

Given that the entire Boekenhoutskloof range exudes class – from the Wolftrap and Porcupine Ridge wines right through to the hallowed contents of the Treasure Chest – I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised.

Side note – if you want to know the sliding scale of which level of friends get which wine, Seth has you covered. Just don’t go throwing the good stuff around too early in the silly season, it’s all about pacing yourself.

If you really want to treat yourself, or you have visitors coming to the Cape from further afield who want a unique wine experience, the Boekenhoutskloof Tasting Room is a thing of beauty.

You will need to make an appointment for one of the tastings, which take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11AM by appointment only – contact info@boekenhoutskloof.co.za for more info.

[source:winemag]