It’s been another stellar year for Boschendal Wines as they took two Top 10 spots in the recently released Prescient Signature Red Blends Report. The two wines receiving this recognition are Boschendal Black Angus 2017 and Boschendal Nicolas 2017 from 45 entries amongst 39 producers.
Adding to this impressive performance, the iconic wine estate nestled between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, also received recognition for its Boschendal 1685 Merlot 2017 – which achieved top-10 status in the Prescient Merlot Report 2020. The 1685 Shiraz 2018 received a 90-point rating in the Shiraz Report, evidence of the 335-year Boschendal legacy of world-class winemaking.
Convened by industry tastemakers, Boschendal’s innovative Cellar Master, Jacques Viljoen, was pleased with this acknowledgement from the panel at Winemag.co.za .for each of these vintages.
“There is such diversity in the four different wines, but we knew we had a royal flush with the 2017 Shiraz harvest in particular. The elegant spice from the Elgin region combined with the fruit concentration and complexity from Stellenbosch terroir enables us to harness the extraordinary individuality of the grapes from each to make them shine.”
Black Angus 2017, is an evolution of the original estate blend, The Grand Reserve, and is carefully crafted Shiraz led blend with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec – all being vinified separately. The result is a voluptuous, full-bodied wine with black cherry, plum, roast cocoa bean, black pepper and winter spice complexity.
Nicolas 2017 is a red blend that is grounded in Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec, enhanced and elevated by an intriguing layer of Shiraz that adds depth and intricacy. After being reviewed by Christian Eedes at the launch, the wine aficionado’s summation of the wine as a potential icon wine for Boschendal, certainly was an indication of things to come.
“Red and black fruit, a subtle herbal note, some floral perfume on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh acidity and very fine tannins, the finish admirably dry, balanced and supple,” said Eedes.
Earlier this year and not to be outshone, the 1685 Merlot received Top 10 status in the Prescient Merlot Report with cherry plum and ripe mulberry flavours balanced by subtle oak aging for multi-layered complexity, this is a particularly sumptuous wine.
The 1685 Shiraz also received 90 points in the Prescient Shiraz Report and delivers dark berries, elegant cool climate spice and exotic oak spice with generous fruit expression that lingers elegantly. There is no doubt that these rich flavours will only keep getting better with further cellaring.
“It is an honour to see these vintages given recognition. This is a collective process, so we all share pride in this outcome,” says Jacques. “Boschendal is all about teamwork, trust, attention to detail, timing and balance – you could say that we transfer our philosophy on life in our passion to make wine.”
The tasting panel for this year believes that there is still room to explore an authentically South African-designed red blend and look forward to future entrants that will make the red-blend iconic in this region. Jacques is cautiously optimistic about Boschendal’s position in the hearts and palates of wine connoisseurs around the world.
“My philosophy is to be better every year at all aspects of winemaking. It makes me proud to serve these wines and to continuously keep on lifting the standard as we have,” said Viljoen.
