Boekenhoutskloof - The Chocolate Block 2023 (750ml)
Price: $35.99
| Producer | Boekenhoutskloof |
| Country | South Africa |
| Region | Western Cape |
| Varietal | Red Blend |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Sku | 3552 |
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The nose is rich and intense with its abundance of black- and blueberry fruit, ripe brambles, and notes of black olives, perfume and dust. Whiffs of white pepper and coriander seed add to the complexity. The bright dark berries of the nose follow through onto a juicy, abundant palate with classic red liquorice and fresh cherry flavours. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with a broad, weighty midpalate, yet the mouthfeel is smooth, gentle. Lively acidity and svelte, velvety tannins are balanced and add to the elegance, focus and energy of the wine. Hints of cherry tobacco and exotic spice linger on a pure, dry finish.
74% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cinsault, 1% Viognier
Boekenhoutskloof Description
The 2023 Swartland growing season witnessed below average rainfall, ultimately resulting in a challenging vintage. Late December rains brought mild relief, the vines however, remained immensely stressed due to minimal soil moisture. These tricky conditions inevitably saw the vineyards raising small canopies and carrying low yields. Interestingly (and a great blessing), this vintage did not experience the usual December and January heatwaves, leading to lower alcohol conversions and naturally low residual sugar. The resultant wine is balanced and tremendously elegant with well-integrated tannins
James Suckling: 92 Points
This is wonderfully fragrant, with attractive notes of olive, mulberry and peppercorn. It’s juicy, medium- to full-bodied and very bright, with fine-grained tannins and a lively finish. 74% syrah, 11% grenache, 8% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cinsault and 1% viognier. Delicious already. Drink now.
Wine Advocate: 91 Points
With an ample 1.2 million bottles made, the Boekenhoutskloof 2023 Swartland The Chocolate Block is one of South Africa's most popular restaurant and retail wines. The blend is 74% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cinsault and 1% co-fermented Viognier. Eighty percent of the grapes are farmed by the in-house team. No new oak is used except for the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest sees neutral barrel. Proprietor Marc Kent says the wine is on its way to officially becoming organic. People underestimate the influence of the Cinsault, he says. It takes away from the roughness of the other grapes, and along with Grenache, creates a more perfumed style of wine. The Chocolate Block is its own brand, representing a fruit-forward, accessible and food-friendly red wine with medium-plus texture and pleasant softness.
Vinous: 91 Points
The 2023 The Chocolate Block, arguably the Cape's most successful brand in terms of both quantity and quality, is a mixture of 70% estate fruit (mainly from Porsenleinberg) and 30% from partnership vineyards on reddish soils that have supplied fruit for 15 to 20 years. It matured for 12 to 14 months in 95% used barriques. Fruit picked after the rains was not included in the blend. The 2023 has afresh nose with redcurrant and pomegranate fruit, earthy notes and a touch of tea leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit and fine acidity, fresh and vibrant with brown spices and black pepper toward the finish. According to the label, production totaled 4,043 barrels in this vintage - it is some achievement to produce a label of such scale at this level of quality. The Cape couldn't ask for a better ambassador.
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