2010 &amp;
2011 Porseleinberg

BY NEAL MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 06, 2022&nbsp;Porseleinberg
leads an impressive and growing fleet of world-class Syrah/Rhône blends from South
Africa. Mark Kent, founder of Boekenhoutskloof, was foraging sources for his
Chocolate Block label in and around Swartland when he came across a 173-acre namesake
farm in Swartland. According to writer Tim James, Jaco and Yoland Marais owned
the ranch. Some of the fruit was bought by Eben Sadie as part of early vintages
of his Columella. Alas, the vineyard was damaged by wildfire, and the Marais’s
struggled to stay afloat, eventually selling the farm to Kent in 2009 as Swartland
was becoming the byword in excellence.

Kent
recognized the potential of its schist soils on the Porseleinberg Mountain, a
stone’s throw from the Mullineux’s Roundstone estate, and replanted the
vineyard with Syrah and Grenache. His second astute decision was to install
Callie Louw to oversee both the viticulture and winemaking and run
Porseleinberg independently from Boekenhoutskloof. Louw is your typical
chilled-out, free-minded Cape winemaker who is most content out in the vines or
on his tractor. He lets the wines do the talking, and almost overnight,
Porseleinberg rapidly became the Cape’s benchmark Syrah, inspired by Côte-Rôtie
and to my mind, Jamet’s style of winemaking. Though I have tasted all vintages at
their time of release, I rarely encounter back vintages. So my pulse quickened when
Louw recently showed the first two vintages. The wines can be notoriously
backward in their youth and demand several years’ cellaring. Some contend that
they have become more approachable in the last couple of years, though Louw
rebuked this when we met, countering that he wouldn’t know how to change his
winemaking even if he wanted to!<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1662132047428-porseleinberg.jpg">The 2010
Porseleinberg is a debut I have not tasted since release. Whole
bunch fermented and aged 35% in concrete vats, the remainder in foudres,
this awesome Syrah far surpasses my initial estimations. It delivers an
intoxicating bouquet of black fruit, wild fennel, dried mint and sage, the kind
of nose that evokes images of walking along a country lane in Provence on a hot
July evening. The palate is beautifully balanced with lithe tannins, shimmering
black fruit laced with aniseed, thyme and sage. There is an unerring sense of
symmetry, and the finish is reminiscent of top-level Côte-Rôtie. It is simply
magnificent. Whilst I would not begrudge anyone drinking this now, it clearly
has a 30-to-40-year lifespan. 95/Drink 2023-2050. 

The 2011
Porseleinberg never received a commercial release. Louw told me that with a
depleted 1,200 bottles they opted to keep the bottles, occasionally selling
dribs and drabs to visitors and a few leaked into local auction. Based on this
showing, I hope that this sophomore does see the light of day. It is more
understated than the 2010 yet delivers the same unerring delineation and poise,
a little more tertiary on the nose, hints of morels and girolles permeating the
black fruit. The palate is harmonious and fresh as a daisy. The satin-like
texture is so seductive, and it fans out beautifully towards the finish with a
little more red fruit than the entry. When this is belatedly released, don’t
hesitate in trying to obtain a bottle. 96/Drink 2023-2050.© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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