The nose is forthcoming and concentrated, with intense aromas of plums, violets and a sleek spiciness. The midpalate is pure, peppery and vibrant, with black and red fruits in abundance, showing flavours of blueberries, dark liquorice, anise and earthiness. The wine is full-bodied and very complex, with plush tannins and vibrant, balanced acidity. Sweet tobacco and black cardamom linger on a charry finish with subtle nuances of iron fer and tar.

Grapes for the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah are picked from select parcels of the finest Syrah grown at their Swartland farms, Porseleinberg (90%) and Goldmine (10%), close to the small town of Riebeek-Kasteel. The Porseleinberg vineyards are planted on an extremely hard and rocky bedrock of decomposed Mica-Schist; a unique ward-defining terroir within the appellation. The vineyards on Goldmine sit on the south-west slopes of the Kasteelberg and comprise of Brown Schist with deposits of Table Mountain sandstone, which is weathered and washed from the adjacent mountain. The delicate combination of these two properties allows for this expression of both concentrated and structured wines, made from this Rhône grape.

Syrah grapes were hand-harvested into lug boxes and transported to Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek for vinification. Grapes were cooled in a cold room, then transferred to tulip-shaped concrete tanks for fermentation. A combination of partially destemmed and whole-bunch (65%) clusters fermented spontaneously with minimal sulphur additions and no acidification. A soft délestage was performed 2-3 per day. Once maceration is complete, the skins are basket pressed and gravity-fed into traditional 2 500L Austrian oak foudres and 600L demi-muids for further ageing of up to 18 months.

"Deep garnet. Openly floral and peppery, intensely aromatic, you might even call it 'pretty' except that there is also a suggestion of Syrah's savoury character, and lots of non-sweet black fruit at the core. On the palate, there's a touch of oak sweetness but it is mostly clean-edged and aromatic fruit, the tannins remarkably smooth already and elegantly fine-grained. Pure and deliciously dry on the long finish. Medium-bodied and really elegant. Drink to 2031."
17 points. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com (April 2024)