Boschkloof Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2007

wine review date: 2010-03-19

When Jacques bought the farm in 1995 he brought with him a lot of experience from La Motte in Franschhoek.  “Being able to produce my own style of wine has always been a dream of mine” says the assionate winemaker and Cape Winemakers Guild member.  After planting new vines on the former Kleine alze Estate he bottled the first vintage in 1996, but the vintage was never released.  In 1999 he was onfident enough about the quality of his wine and he launched the 1999 Syrah with great success.

“Back to basics” is his guideline.  “The wine is made in the vineyards” he says, “the rest is guiding he grapes, juice and wine until the date of release”.
The farm is 30ha big (or small) with 17ha under vine with a range of 7-30 years of age.  “Old vines re very important to add complexity, concentration and length” says Jacques, proud of his older vineyards.

The production is small…“Boschkloof wine is not made to sell in supermarkets or liquor stores.  You’ll find my wines in Restaurants or very good assorted wine stores,” says Jacques.  The range is mostly red complimented with a slightly wooded Chardonnay.  Once he made Sauvignon Blanc, but just for a short while and for one reason only, “to get money to buy the barrels for the reds”.The Chardonnay is a “drinking experience with no headache” he jokes.  Lemony, crisp aromas with hints of lime, pineapple and yellow apple on the nose, the palate a balanced round texture with a slight creamy hint which shows the nine months maturation in used French barrels. The finish is fresh and lingering which pairs perfectly with freshly caught fish such as Kingklip or Salmon Trout, with seasonal vegetables and a creamy butter sauce.

 The reds are the main focus of Jacques Borman.  Straightforward wines with very good varietal expression.  Just pick your favourite and enjoy. The Merlot 2006 is very classical with hints of cherries, plums, graphite and cedar wood. Sweet fruit on the palate, structured, soft tannins with an elegant lingering finish. A wine for daily use, especially before you fetch the kids from school.
The more complex and structured Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 shows darker fruits such as cassis and mulberries, supported by a slight smokiness, tobacco and tar combined with the characteristically minty aromas.  The tannins are firm and tight to keep the fruit in balance, a well integrated acidity provides a long finish with a fresh aftertaste.  All you need is a sumptuous portion of red meat to best compliment this particular wine.

 More accessible than complicated is the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2007.  A fruit driven wine with predominantly blue fruits on the nose.  Blueberries and blackberries are very easily distinguished. he palate is round and smooth, with very soft tannins and a round finish.  There is no difficulty enjoying this wine around a braai at home with friends.

The two flagship wines in Jacques’s range are for a change flagship wines.
The Syrah 2006 is harmony played in the glass.  Ripe, dense aromas bounce off the sides.  Dark berries, juniper berries, coriander and fynbos underline the character of this wine on the nose.  Once the wine hits the palate it starts floating around the tongue with high extraction and concentration being the key to this great wine.  The tannins are still present and vivid, dry but integrated and balanced with the fruit.  For the fresh acidity, there is only one appropriate word: mouth-watering. f you intend cooking slow roasted lamb, don’t forget the right wine, Boschkloof Syrah.

The Conclusion 2005 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and, for the last time, Syrah.  As from 2006, Jacques has kept the Syrah only for his varietal wine.  The blend is powerful, dark and robust…not for the faint hearted.  Ripe fruits such as plums and blackberries are dominating whilst tobacco, forest floor, cigar box and coffee give this wine the complexity which makes it so interesting.  After a while in the glass it opens up, the fruit refines and the perfumes are plentiful.  The fruit and tannins just explode on the palate and you should be prepared for a long, intense and mind blowing finish.  A wine which speaks the truth.

 The Conclusion 2006 is a 100% Bordeaux blend, for the first time it was made without including Syrah. n comparison to the 2005 vintage, the 2006 is even more concentrated with darker fruits such as cassis.  The tannins are tougher and drier but the acidity gives the 2006 more freshness and elegance.  It has good aging potential for the next five years.  To be honest, I helped to blend the 2006.The Conclusion 2007 was still in the tank and the blend only 90% finished but already showing promise of being one of the best wines Jacques has ever produced.  The blend is not as dark and deep, but the balance and the integration of each aspect e.g. fruit, tannins and acidity is so complete and will develop beautifully in the next five to eight years.

The same goes for the Syrah 2007.  I didn’t taste the Syrah 2006 because it was only available in Magnum bottles and sold out (of course).  The 2007 sample was from the tank and will be bottled at the end of March.

To my delight, Jacques opened a bottle of his Cape Winemakers Guild Syrah 2006 which shows the whole potential of his vineyards.  The wine is still unbalanced and the barrel maturation shows more coffee and vanilla.  The fruit will have to fight it out during the next two years to bare its full expression.  More concentration, more extraction and an elegant acidity makes this wine a masterpiece of winemaking.  A sophisticated finale to an early morning tasting with Jacques Borman, winemaker and
owner of Boschkloof.

Tobias Brauweiler

Steenberg Nebbiolo 2007

wine review date: 2010-03-12

In June, 2009 I visited Steenberg Vineyards to taste the 2009 vintage and found the quality of the wines which were still lying in the tank, to be very promising.  Cellarmaster, John Loubser, couldn’t stop raving about the perfect conditions for his whites.

My last visit to the new tasting room and Bistro Sixteen82 at the end of February 2010 gave me the opportunity to taste the bottled premium wines after a short time of bottle maturation.
We started with the Steenberg H.M.S. Rattlesnake, a blend from several areas such as Durbanville, Darling, Stellenbosch and Constantia. This is a new Steenberg project and the production in 2009 was very small.  In 2010 Loubser will increase the quantity due to the exceptional quality and the blending fun the wine has. The wine matures partly for 3 months in French oak, a small portion is new, the rest is used barrels. Freshly opened from the fridge, the cooler aspects of the blend such as the Durbanville gooseberries and green fig combined with Darling tin peas, green asparagus and capsicum are upfront. The palate is fresh with balanced acidity and a round mouth feel. After a while in the glass resulting in a slightly warmer temperature, the backbone of riper fruits such as yellow apple and white peach start showing. The palate gains in complexity and weight from 3 degrees and higher. A creamy texture appears which gives the wine a long powerful finish where all flavour components come back and show the real beauty of the wine.

The Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2009 still remains on top of the single varietal Sauvignons. With its complexity, concentration and balance it is most probably one of the best of its kind. Freshly cut basil, mint and currant leaves appear first on the nose, followed by ripe gooseberries and figs. The round, powerful palate with a phenomenal texture shows capsicum and freshly cut grass. The finished wine takes advantage of the 3 months lees contact after fermentation and lingers in every part of the mouth with the typical wet white stone minerality which gives the wine elegance and finesse.
A wine always worthy of tasting is the Semillon of Steenberg. The new 2009 vintage has its typical waxy, paraffin flavours followed by green pepper aromas and riper yellow fruit such as apricot and pear. The palate is still closed and needs some time in the bottle to mature to full expression. The finish is already balanced with a sweet macadamia nut appearance.

Steenberg also produces a wine from 100% Nebbiolo which is not a very commonly made wine in South Africa. The 2007 vintage matured for 10 months in used barrels and is dominated by red berry fruit such as sweet cherries, cranberries and wild raspberries on the nose. On the palate the wine appears with a slight meaty taste, delicate white mushroom and forest floor flavours with soft tannins and a refreshing finish due to the well balanced acidity.

It is a worthwhile drive to the Steenberg Estate in the Constantia Valley to taste their wines. The new tasting room and the Bistro Sixteen82, is another reason to visit this scenic wine farm.  The beautiful setting and environment with friendly and well educated staff makes a visit to Steenberg a wonderful way to spend your day.

Tobias Brauweiler

The Chase Shiraz 2006

wine review date: 2009-10-22

The wine appears in the glass with a dense, dark red and a young violet rim.

The nose is very intense and shows ripe black fruit like blueberries and mulberries supported by the typical Shiraz herbaceous character and spice. Cedar and cigar box flavours are dominant but in combination with the hints of juniper berry and thyme it it gives you already a slight sneak preview what to expect on the palate.

Ripe sweet fruit on the upfront palate with a full bodied concentrated spicy mid-palate gives you good impression of the warm climate in Paarl. Surprisingly is that you have on the palate rather red fruit as cherries and ripe wild raspberries combined with a fresh and mouth-watering acidity. The tannins are very fine and powdery with a dry, warm finish where aromas of chocolate and fresh crushed coffee beans give their contribute to the complexity of this Shiraz.

My suggestion: Tri Nations, Currie Cup and Premier League, have a Braai but please stop drinking Black Label, have a Shiraz like this.

Tobias Brauweiler

Eikendal Chardonnay 2007

wine review date: 2009-08-08

Eikendal Chardonnay 2007, wooded

Chardonnay,this in Burgundy and Chablis well known variety gains more and more popularity in South Africa. While the unwooded examples are meant do be drunk younger and as fresh as possible the wooded Chardonnays show better potential to be kept away for two or even more year to gain their peak of enjoyment and complexity.
Eikendal, situated near Somerset West on the foot of the Helderberg mountains produced in 2007 exactly the latter above mentioned style of Chardonnay.

This wine appears in the glass with a bright yellow with a green shadow, the nose is dominated by ripe exotic fruit as mango, peach and melon. The slight undertone of toffee and vanilla indicates a careful use of French oak.

Fresh citric fruit as grapefruit and lime followed by the ripe, creamy and dens fruit on the palette and white chocolate makes this Chardonnay a complex, rich but elegent food companion. The finish is dominated by a refreshing acidity and the presents of the well integrated wood. The finish lingers on the palette and shows once more the ripe fruit of pear and mango.

My suggestion: who ain’t a fan of over oaked Chardonnay or flappy, oily and boring wine at all should try a sip of this balanced and fresh Chardonnay with a slight woody character and I’ll be sure you will try more of these styles of wines in the future.

Tobias Brauweiler

Arumdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

wine review date: 2009-06-15

Arumdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Arumdale, a small farm in the valley of Elgin has produced their own wine on the farm since 2006.

This Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 was produced in the cellar of Thelema, situated on the Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch.

The dark red blackish colour gives an indication of the concentration of this wine.

The nose is dominated by deep black cassis and blueberries. Hints of mint and eucalyptus shows the origin of a concentrated wine. Cedar, fire smoke and tobacco completes the intense and full nose.

A round, balanced palate with sweet dried fruit, dense blackberries and cassis notes, integrated oak flavours such as coffee powder and tobacco makes this wine a complete Cabernet Sauvignon drinking experience.

Soft, smooth tannins and a long berry finish with hints of dark chocolate fulfills this ripe, balanced and well matured wine.

My suggestion: Drink it now and enjoy.

Tobias Brauweiler

The Chase Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

wine review date: 2009-05-11

Young, still slightly purple with a cherry red rim and a dark dense core.

The Paarl origin is reflected by the intense fruit. Cassis, blueberry and wild mulberry aromas. The very ripe nose is completed by leather, tobacco and dark chocolate which completes the dense nose.

The palate is in contrast to the nose. Elegant and smooth, well balanced with fine acidity. Still young, wild and ripe tannins to fix the cassis and plum fruit. Complemented by tobacco and dark choclate the finish is dominated by the warmer climates intense Paarl fruit aromas. Keep it another year or two and you will enjoy a well made wine of the '06 vintage.  

My suggestion: find an occasion with your be-loved to open a bottle of The Chase, you won't regret it.

Tobias Brauweiler

Kleinfontein Merlot 2005

wine review date: 2009-04-29

Shiny brilliant red with a dark core. The nose shows ripe plum and morello cherry fruit, with hints of concentrated blackberry and spice which brings back distant memories of orange blueberry muffin with cinnamon topping.

The slight smokiness and dark mint chocolate shows the influence of 12 months wood maturation in French oak. Round, balanced mouth feel;  dense ripe fruit as already announced by the nose. The primary hint of vanilla turns into fresh Rooibos tea leaves and the dark mint chocolate transforms to softer caramel and mocha flavours. The present, ripe and dry tannins, which keep the intense fruit together, showing the warmer 2005 vintage, suggests a wine with good ageing potential. The warm, smooth finish provides flavours of blackberries and plums and persist long enough until the next sip.

Drink it during winter with an oven roasted, cherry crusted Kudu fillet, rosemary potatoes, vegetables and Merlot sauce or braised beef shoulder, mushroom potato mash, asparagus and dark plum sauce.

Enjoy the 2005 Kleinfontein Merlot with friends and family!

Tobias Brauweiler