What could be better than this? A stunningly beautiful winery that makes relatively small quantities (8,333 cases) of fabulous, immaculately crafted Semillon and Syrah as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from two separate appellations, but also amazingly high quality, everyday renditions of Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (under the “Porcupine Ridge” brand), plus phenomenally interesting blends (white, red and rosé under “The Wolftrap” brand)? I’m 
already out of breath, and I haven’t yet gotten to “The Chocolate Block,” a mid-priced blend that has always been delicious but seems to get better every year.
Certainly among the handful of South Africa’s flagship producers, Boekenhoutskloof is on an incredible tear at the moment, and this might be the best place to start for those who aren’t yet fans of South African wines. This is in part because you can get the idea of starting at any level in the range of wines and get the idea.
Collectors who lean toward France or Napa can start with the Boekenhoutskloof offerings and taste wines equal to – or better than – what they’ve been paying many times more to obtain. Tasting at the estate in Franschhoek in September, I scored the both the Syrah and Semillon from 2017 at 96 points, and a 2007 Semillon from 2007 seemed capable of improving for another few years. The two Cabernets from the same vintage were in the same league, with the Stellenbosch bottling checking in at 95 and the Franschhoek at 96 but making a case for at least one more point as it unwound in the glass.
That’s very impressive, obviously, but all things considered, the inexpensive wines for everyday drinking should really turn the heads of novice wine lovers, party-throwers, and post-holiday cheapskates. The Porcupine Ridge Syrah from 2018 ($11) was so good that we poured it at my daughter’s wedding in October (and that was after it won one of 55 slots in what may be the USA’s most competitive restaurant wine selection program for the DC-based Clyde’s Restaurant Group…tasted amongst 3,000+ other wines). It won its slot in a blind tasting with food conducted by 40 employees of the Group, and though I did all of the preliminary round tastings to determine the finalists, I wasn’t among the tasters in that round.
If the Syrah hadn’t been so phenomenal, we might very well have taken the Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2018 too, and the 2017 Merlot was also very near the top of its category. Brand duplication wasn’t an issue for The Wolftrap line, and hence the 2017 white blend of Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc also won a slot. At $12 or so, this is an amazing wine that is full-bodied but quite complex and very nimble with all sorts of foods, and one to search out regardless of whether you’ve got value or sheer quality in mind.
When a company makes 7 million bottles of wine per year and everything is stellar in its price category, all one can say is: Damn, that’s bloody impressive. But that’s not all! A new venture in the cool climate area of Hermanus is already making wicked good Chardonnay and Pinot from purchased fruit, and when the estate-grown vines become mature, one can only imagine how good the wines under the “Cap Maritime” wines will be.
When somebody like me tastes 9,000+ wines in a year, it shouldn’t be easy to pick a best producer. But in 2019, the choice was obvious for me, and these wines could get your 2020 off to a very good start.
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