1997 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Warning: This Cellar Favorite has a tragic ending.
Rewind to the mid-nineties, South Africa is basking in the afterglow of the dissolution of apartheid dissolution and Nelson Mandela’s election as President. After decades of selling wine domestically, South Africa’s wine industry is suddenly exposed to a competitive, global market, often under governmental control. Among a vast ocean of turbo-charged Bordeaux blends, the 1997 Syrah from Boekenhoutskloof is sui generis and becomes one of the Cape’s most iconic, mythical wines.
A bit of background because apocryphal stories abound. For this, I am indebted to its creator, winemaker Marc Kent. Though he now resides and makes wine in Portugal, Kent remains Boekenhoutskloof’s managing partner and, according to current head winemaker Gottfried Mokke, frequently commutes between the two countries, ensuring it remains one of the nation’s best estates. Though the farm dates back to the 18th century, winemaking was only introduced in the mid-Nineties. Since their own vineyards were just being planted, Boekenhoetskloof relied on contracted fruit. “The 1997 was my first vintage of Syrah and my first proper vintage altogether,” Kent tells me. “In 1996, I crushed only eight tons of Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Rewind to the mid-nineties, South Africa is basking in the afterglow of the dissolution of apartheid dissolution and Nelson Mandela’s election as President. After decades of selling wine domestically, South Africa’s wine industry is suddenly exposed to a competitive, global market, often under governmental control. Among a vast ocean of turbo-charged Bordeaux blends, the 1997 Syrah from Boekenhoutskloof is sui generis and becomes one of the Cape’s most iconic, mythical wines.
