It’s pronounced ‘Book-n-hoe’ds-kloof’
In 1993, Marc Kent, along with 6 other partners, purchased a small farm at the southern end of the Franschhoek Valley. The farm was originally founded in 1776, beneath a ravine (kloof) full of Cape Beech (boekenhout) trees, which, during the 18th and 19th centuries, were used extensively for furniture-making – hence the 7 chairs on the labels of their wines, one for each partner. Over the subsequent thirty years, this small beginning has transformed into one of the largest and most influential wine producers in South Africa.
A contemporary of Eben Sadie at Elsenburg Agricultural college, Marc brought a relentless energy to his task as Managing Partner of Boekenhoutskloof. He augmented the young vines on the farm with purchased fruit from vineyards both within Franschhoek and throughout the Western Cape to fuel the many brands he created, always retaining the best for wines bearing the 7 chairs. From 2015 Boekenhoutskloof has been further enhanced by the arrival of Gottfried Mocke (from Cape Chamonix) as Chief Winemaker, bringing extra precision to the wines and to the winery, with less extraction, less new oak and a renewed emphasis on the vineyards. His arrival, and the extensive renovation of the cellar from 2016-2018, has seen the estate reach a new level of consistency and quality.
Boekenhoutskloof produces two Cabernet Sauvignons: the first from Franschhoek, produced since 1996, is an elegant expression of the variety, mostly from estate fruit, with 14% Cabernet Franc to add aromatic intensity and floral character. The second, produced since 2014 from 4 sites in Stellenbosch, with just 4% Cabernet Franc, is darker and more robust, and will generously reward extended time in bottle. The Swartland Syrah is a blend from two farms: 12% from Goldmine, next door to Mullineux at Roundstone, and 88% from their iconic, ruggedly beautiful Porseleinberg property, where the dry schist soils crackle like broken pottery underfoot. The wine speaks eloquently of the excellent 2020 vintage in the Swartland, with complexity, silky intensity and spectacular potential for ageing. /JH
Offered subject to remaining unsold; arriving imminently
