2022 Syrah

The estate was quiet when I visited winemaker Gottfried Mocke at the far end of the Franschhoek Valley. Most wineries in this part of the Cape are geared towards tourism since the landscape here is pure eye candy, a magnet for tourists. Sometimes, that can seem to be the priority over wine quality. Fortunately, Boekenhoutskloof is not “most wineries”. The quality of its wines is so ahead of the rest that you have to wonder why more Franschhoek-based estates cannot produce wines of similar caliber. Part of the reason is simple… They don’t have to. There are plenty of undiscerning palates flocking to this part of the Cape. Underlying the success of Boekenhoutskloof is Mocke. I first met him when he worked over at Chamonix. He was clearly a gifted, perhaps fastidious winemaker the first time we met a few vintages ago. Boekenhoutskloof manages to balance large volume commercial labels, not least their flagship and über-successful “The Chocolate Block”, with limited releases designed for connoisseurs, like their Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, age-worthy Semillon and, wisely operating as a separate entity under Callie Louw, Porseleinberg. “New parcels will come into The Chocolate Block,” Mocke told me. “Last week, we completed our OXO-Line system that can hold 6,000 barrels. One of the biggest markets for The Chocolate Block is Nigeria.” Mocke also told me that they have harvested their first what he called ‘proper crop’ for their Cape Maritime Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and will be put into barrel this year.