2020 Sémillon

Winemaker Gottfried Mocke welcomed me at Boekenhoutskloof estate as the rain lashed outside. This enclave of Franschhoek, high in the foothills of the mountains, receives much higher rainfall than elsewhere – a crucial factor in recent drought-affected years when winter rain replenishes reservoirs. Proprietor Mark Kent seems to have stepped back a little in recent years, and I heard that he was in Spain working on a new project. But Mocke is a very qualified, technically precise winemaker whose attention to detail is reflected in the wines, which include the entry-level Cap Maritime blends, the supremely successful Chocolate Block label that for the first time just surpassed one million bottle sales, and Callie Louw’s heralded Porseleinberg Syrah. (Louw made it over to Franschhoek to present the wine, and as it is treated as a separate entity, readers should note it has its own Producer Profile.)

I first asked Mocke about recent changes since my previous visit. “We have been fully organic since 2021 and certified,” he replies. “Syrah will become organic, and then ideally, we would make Chocolate Block organic. There is the potential to do that. There is no use of enzymes, a natural ferment, etc. People are thinking differently towards herbicides, using mulch, oxygenating the soils, and I can see the changes in the sites thanks to changes in soil management. We get more air flow in the canopy and protect the bunches. In warmer regions such as South Africa, we seem to have much lower alcohol conversions than before [which would moderate alcohol levels.] For the Chocolate Block, we are using less Cabernet Sauvignon as that comes from outsourced fruit [the inference being that they cannot control quality like other varieties]. We are building a first cellar in Stellenbosch dedicated to the production of Chocolate Block that will use the XO system, which will change how the wine is racked, and ultimately, we will have space for 6,000 barrels. This will create a bigger pool for selection of the blend.”