2020 Syrah, Boekenhoutskloof, Swartland

2020 Syrah, Boekenhoutskloof, Swartland

Is this the best Syrah that Boekenhoutskloof have made? Surely a worthy successor to the legendary 1997: this gets better and better under Gottfried's management. Now 90% from Porseleinberg's blue schist soils, and 10% from Goldmine's brown schist, this has astonishing aromatics, with wild flowers and pure fruit, and the palate is so refined and elegant. There's minerality on the finish, which lasts for minutes. This is undoubtedly a match for the world's greatest Syrahs.

Critic score
96/100 info

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Wine details

  • Region & country
    South Africa
  • Maturity
    Ready 2023 - 2040info
  • Colour
    Red
  • Sweetness
    Dry
  • Style
    Still
  • Unit Volume
    Bottle (75cl.)
  • ABV
    14%

Tasting notes

Given that 90% of its raw material comes from Porseleinberg - the other 10% comes from Boekenhoutskloof's Roundstone property - it's no surprise that this is such an impressive Syrah. Fermented with 65% whole bunches, it combines fynbos, lavender and Asian spice aromas with a palate of white pepper, barbecued meat, oregano and blackberry framed by sappy, granular tannins. World class. 2025-35

Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com (September 2023)
97/100

With 90% of the fruit coming from Porseleinberg and 10% from Goldmine, both in Swartland, this is a wondrous wine with more detail and finesse than any preceding vintage. Utilising only large foudre, the spice and fruit aromatics are as pure and evocative as I have encountered in a Cape Syrah. While the flavour palette is more deep purple than black-fruited, there is no obvious oak intervention and this allows the fruit to soar. Sanguineous and sappy on the finish, this is a glorious red wine with elemental animal notes interwoven with silky ribbons of beautifully ripe blackcurrant, mulberry and plum flavours. With the same texture and volume of fruit as a Vosne-Romanée, this is a regal creation that distances itself from the meat and muscle often found in sun-loving Syrahs!

Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com (February 2023)
19+/20

The 2020 Syrah Boekenhoutskloof is the first vintage under 14% alcohol. It utilizes 60% whole bunches with natural ferment in concrete vats and aged for 18 months mainly in Stockinger foudres. It has a cool but focused bouquet that gains intensity with aeration: blackcurrants, bilberry, pressed iris flower and a pinch of Provençal herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, sappy and beautifully balanced, gently building towards a voluminous, almost Côte-Rôtie-like finish. One of the best Syrahs that I have tasted from Boekenhoutskloof in a while.

Neal Martin, vinous.com (September 2022)
94/100

The 2020 Syrah is a 90/10 cuvée of grapes from the Porseleinberg and Goldmine properties and is another triumphant release from Marc Kent and Gottfried Mocke. Far from being a blockbuster, this is a subtle, layered wine, with aromas of violet and five-spice, subtle 60% whole bunches and flavours of bramble, blackberry and goji berry. Silky, scented and deftly oaked.

Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com (March 2022)
97/100

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