Boekenhoutskloof: The incredibly popular wine you should get your hands on - if you can pronounce it

It is named after a South African Cape Beech tree, the Boekenhout, and a kloof is a steep-sided valley usually wooded.

Once you realise that the estate is located in one of the most gorgeous steep-sided valleys in the Cape, then it all begins to make sense.

Add the fact that the wood of the Cape Beech tree is greatly prized for making high quality furniture, then the label which shows a row of different styles of wooden chairs completes the picture.

The second challenge posed by this estate is finding the wines in a wine merchant. Boekenhoutskloof is in great demand for its sheer quality and one of the wines, The Journeyman, which is produced in tiny qualities just doesn’t appear at all.

This is an ‘under the counter’ wine that occasionally pops up on a favoured restaurant wine list. If you see it, buy it, even if you have to take out a second mortgage.

I first came across this magical estate around 25 years ago, on a visit to South Africa. Then it was an old farm that was being rescued from dereliction.

Large earth movers were still carving out terraces on the hills, shifting boulders and creating enough space to plant vines. Marc Kent was the newly appointed winemaker, and he was full of dynamic enthusiasm for the project and the wines.

Just a short time later I persuaded hm to present his wines at The York Festival of Food and Drink – and despite his diary being extremely full, he managed to fit The Festival in, re-routing his international travels from New York to Cape Town, via Yorkshire.

His wines and his presentation style, with a tendency to call a spade a shovel helped him seem quite at home in Yorkshire.

In the intervening years I have kept an eye on this estate and have been very impressed as the number of wines has increased, while the quality has remained consistently high.

Just to get a taste of wines from Boekenhoutskloof, you need first to start with Porcupine Ridge which is a brand that started out as a second wine of the estate but has now branched out into its own winery with grapes being sourced in all the right places for each variety.

Widely available in Tesco, Waitrose, and Sainsbury, at around £8.79 but frequently on offer at £1 less, the whole range is right on the money for flavour, but the Syrah stands out for sheer depth and concentration.

Next, head to Majestic where they have The Wolftrap (£8.99, on a mix six deal) named after a device for catching wolves that was found during the restoration of the estate.

Once again, the Syrah-based wine shines out, with Mourvèdre and a tiny splash of Viognier adding structure and aromas. This is a dark, chunky wine with black fruits, savoury notes and enough character to stand up to a venison casserole.

From this point onwards you need to start making friends with your independent wine merchant, because they are the gatekeepers to the top wines. Chocolate Block is a distinctive, concentrated, wine with layers of black fruits, savoury olive and herb notes that seems to fit around any Sunday roast.

You can buy it at Majestic for £23.99 but far better to head for Field and Fawcett or Hic! where you can save or spend a few pennies more and start to chat about the estate wines that come in small quantities and are allocated rather than sold.

The 2022 vintage of Boekenhoutskloof wines have just been released and will be making their way into shops soon.

These wines do not hang around, and they age really well, so it is well worth buying and trying a few examples of anything left on the shelves from previous vintages before putting your order in for the 2022 vintage.

Semillon may not be first on your list of South African wines, but the Boekenhoutskloof wine is outstanding.

Made from old vine Semillon, grown unirrigated, with some vines over 100 years old, this wine is partially aged in amphorae.

It is waxy with honeysuckle and orange blossom aromas, yellow fruit on the palate, layers of herbs and shot through with lime. Hic! in Ledston has the 2021 vintage at £43 and this will easily age for another five years, developing complexity along the way.

The 2022 Syrah comes from two vineyards in Swartland where a mix of hard, rocky soil and brown schist gives concentrated, structured wines. Of the wines shown at the release tasting this one shone out for its dense damson fruit, plush, rounded and with years ahead of it.

There are two Cabernet Sauvignons, one from Franschhoek while the other is from Stellenbosch and it was fascinating to see the difference between two wines, made by the same estate, from grapes grown just a few miles apart.

“There are always shady spots in Franschhoek, because of the mountains,” said Gottfried Mocke, who is now Chief Winemaker while Marc Kent is very much involved as Technical Director. “The wind in the evenings blows through the valley, delaying ripening by a week or so.”

The Franschhoek wine is polished, generous with fruit and elegant on the finish. The Stellenbosch Cabernet is focused, firm and complex with freshness and length. Both are delicious.

As for the Journeyman, this is a Cabernet Franc-based wine, made from estate-grown grapes with the blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot changing each year as Marc decides how the vintage has affected each component.

This is a glorious wine, with a definite taste of Cabernet Franc shining through and with a tendency to feel more French than traditionally South African.

Where can you buy it? I don’t know. Just 5 cases are allocated to the UK, so why not book a flight to Cape Town? I will tell you the best way to arrange a visit to this fabulous estate and they might let you taste The Journeyman when you are there.