Boschkloof: Bridging the Old and the New

When tasting wine I always find it easier to box or label certain wines to fit into the boundaries I have created. Is the wine modern or traditional? Manipulated or rustic? Old world or New World? These labels are different for everyone which is what makes tasting wine enjoyable – there is no right or wrong answer (most of the time anyway). The Boschkloof Syrah had me contemplating these boundaries and restrictions that I (and maybe other people?) place on wines we taste. I was eager to box it as Old World – with its white pepper, violet floral spice notes and with the suggestive name of Syrah, the more common Old World spelling of the grape it seemed to be clear that it was an Old World style the wine was reflecting. After time in the glass the wine opened up to show a lovely purple plum, red fruit coulis concentration, clove and sweet anise spice that I find more common with New World Shiraz and almost appeared to be a Jekyll & Hyde wine –  a wine with two faces! The Boschkloof neatly bridges the divide between the two worlds and sits comfortable in both. The grapes come from the Boschkloof farm in the Polkadraai Hills of Stellenbosch, showing that great Syrah in South Africa is not only limited to certain regions but we have the ability to embrace different styles from our vast variety of terroirs. The Boschkloof Syrah nods to the yesteryear of South African wine making whilst also nudging towards the lighter, more perfumed styles of Syrah that have been creeping up on the South African market. I for one enjoy the fact that this wine sways between the two worlds and that it didn’t feel like it was trying to be something it wasn’t. It is distinctive in what it is: a fantastic example of a South African Syrah.

 

[Category: Wine notes, Boschkloof, New World, Old World, South Africa, Stellenbosch]


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