Another adventure on Karin’s wine journey

From Taaibosch to Vergelegen and Boekenhoutskloof

Article by Karin Wild

Dear customers, since my last update, we have left beautiful Camps Bay behind us and have now arrived in the picturesque vineyards of Taaibosch. Here, high up on the Helderberg in Stellenbosch, we have moved into our new home in the impressive Farsight Villa. The view from the villa is breathtaking, with endless vines stretching across the rolling hills and a panorama that reaches to the horizon. The tranquillity and beauty of the surroundings provide the perfect backdrop for the next stage of our wine trip through South Africa.

First stop – Taaibosch Wine Tasting

What you should definitely not miss out on is the outstanding Taaibosch Crescendo wine, the only wine from Taaibosch of which 50,000 bottles were produced in the 2020 vintage. A great blend with a high proportion of Cabernet Franc – I will share my passion for this grape, which is developing magnificently in South Africa, with you today. The blend also contains Merlot and some Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2020 is already beautifully open, shows ripe tannins and unfolds the typical scent of fynbos in the glass, which also surrounds us in the garden of the villa. An aromatic, elegant wine with plenty of depth and complexity, fine-grained and ripe tannins and a long finish.

The Le Chant line from sister winery Taaibosch is exciting and also available from KapWeine. The Le Chant line produces significantly more than the Crescendo. I was particularly impressed by the Chenin Blanc, of which there are around 25,000 bottles. The grapes come from a Polkadraai hill in Stellenbosch. A vibrant wine with a bouquet of flowers and white peach. The red Le Chant is the largest production with around 120,000 bottles. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Shiraz. A well-rounded wine with structure, ready to drink and perfect for any barbecue… Summer is here!

As we were a larger group, we “had to” book the large villa. It not only impresses with its spectacular, simply indescribable view, but also has much more to offer. Be inspired by the pictures and take friends and family with you to experience this unique atmosphere on your next trip to South Africa. Taaibosch Wine Estate offers a range of first-class accommodation with different numbers of bedrooms. You can easily book these online via the following link: Taaibosch Accommodation  

On to Vergelegen

Structure is the keyword for the next wines I want to tell you about. I love wines with structure and that’s why I love Vergelegen. I am particularly fond of the Cabernet Sauvignons, especially the outstanding “V”. Robert Parker also shares my enthusiasm and awarded the 2017 vintage an impressive 94 points.

Equally impressive is the Merlot Reserve, which once again thrilled me. A beautiful wine that also received 91 Parker points. The 2017 offers everything a good Merlot needs: Flavours of plums and black cherries, spicy notes and a wonderful freshness that makes the wine particularly exciting and enjoyable.

Visit to Gottfried Mocke of Boekenhoutskloof

And because it is simply so much fun, I will now take you to Franschhoek, where we visited Gottfried Mocke – the brilliant winemaker from Boekenhoutskloof. I was particularly looking forward to this visit. Gottfried has been working at the winery for around ten years and the last time I saw him was four years ago.

For me, Gottfried makes one of the best Semillons you can get. Pure Semillon is not available in large quantities. This white grape variety originates from Bordeaux, where it is primarily used to make famous sweet wines or as a partner with Sauvignon Blanc to characterise the white Bordeaux wines. The Semillon from Boekenhoutskloof is very creamy with a wonderful flavour of orange marmalade, flowers and apricots, balanced with a lovely freshness. Just 5,000 bottles are bottled, some from the oldest vines in South Africa. It is an excellent accompaniment to food and also matures beautifully. You guessed it, another wine that I recommend you get a few extra bottles of for the cellar.

And then of course there are the two great Cabernet Sauvignons, the Franschhoek and the Stellenbosch, identical but from different regions. We tested the 2021 vintages:
The Stellenbosch has more notes of graphite, cedar and – there it is again – fynbos. Lots of dark fruit and elegance. In the Franschhoek, the notes of cassis, eucalyptus and mint are somewhat stronger. In the end, it’s simply a matter of taste as to which one tastes better. Once again, I love them both and therefore both have to go back into my cellar. Just like the Shiraz 2021, with notes of pepper, spices and lots of dark fruit, which comes from the Swartland. From the same mountain, which is called Porseleinberg, comes the eponymous Porseleinberg (Syrah), another great wine from Boekenhoutskloof characterised by its terroir, which received a well-deserved 95 Parker points for the 2021 vintage – no wonder.

But it’s not just the wines that are impressive; the ultra-modern cellar at Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek is also astonishing. First you walk through a hundred metre long concrete tunnel into the depths before you stand in front of one of the most modern barrique facilities in the world. You can only marvel and say: wow…

Editor’s note: Boekenhoutskloof’s portfolio also includes The Chocolate Block, Porcupine Ridge and The Wolftrap. Not to forget Marc Kent’s Cap Maritime.

To be continued – we visited a few more wineries that I would like to introduce to you. Yes, it was a lot of hard work, but also a wonderful experience 😉

Cheers!

Your Karin, Wine Ambassador

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