Get to know:WaterkloofBoreas

Tasting Note

A superstar blockbuster red with some suave and elegant charm. Boreas is a wine is only bottled when one of the vineyard blocks on the Schapenberg offers up something extraordinary. This fourth release from a great vintage for reds is a wonderfully complex Bordeaux blend, predominantly Cabernet Franc.Sublimely complex aromas of redcurrant, plum and red cherry with cedary spice and a hint of pencil shaving. The predominance of Cabernet Franc gives a wine of subtlety and elegance with lifted berry fruit and a supple, finely structured mid palate. Firm yet fine tannins frame the spicy, ethereal finish.

Decant 2 hours before serving with rib of beef or similar.

Kate Says

“We love Waterkloof, and this is their top label for the very best fruit they have to offer. Its a brilliant wine and excellent value considering its complexity and ageing potential. I’d enjoy this with something hearty and share it with someone special.”

In the press

Marked by the herbaceousness of the Cabernet Franc and the stemmy herbal freshness from the whole bunches. But not in the least unripe just very aromatic. Intense dark-red fruits that dominate both the nose and the palate with an unexpected youthfulness. However, the tannins are rounded and silky-smooth while being firm enough to shape all that pure, leafy fruit. Elegant and scented on the palate, with a long finish showing excellent freshness and refinement. A lovely wine, perfect now but should age well. The oak is well integrated, helping to round out the texture, though it does still show in a chocolate-like sweetness on the finish. Fortunately the freshness is sufficient to outrun the oak impression. A clever, well-made wine that should appeal widely unless you really don’t like the herbaceous side of the Cabernets. 17/20 – Julia Harding MW – JancisRobinson.com

Producer Info

Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004, Waterkloof is a family-owned farm using organic practices. The farm is perched high up on the windswept Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Living soils, naturally low yields and a long growing season help provide talented Cellarmaster Nadia Langenegger with naturally balanced grapes that are imbued with a truly defining sense of origin. Those grapes are then transformed into wine with a minimum of intervention.

As well as being ECOCERT certified as organic, and working biodynamically, Waterkloof goes much further than many in its efforts to be a highly sustainable winery. A member of The Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, a voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established by the South African wine industry in 1998, and of The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association, a multi-stakeholder, non-profit voluntary organisation which actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry, it is has also been a member of the World Wildlife Funds Biodiversity & Wine Initiative from its inception. Through a partnership between the IPW and the BWI, Waterkloof is a WWF Conservation Champion and has in place a formal nature conservation plan.

A selection of grapes from across the estate’s best blocks of Bordeaux varieties grown at an altitude of 240-250m. Average yield 17 hl/ha. Hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes were whole bunch pressed (other than Cabernet Sauvignon) and naturally fermented in old, open-top, French oak foudres. Gentle maceration with foot treading and manual punch-downs. Ageing took place in French oak barriques and 9,000 ltr old oak foudres for 27 months. No fining, minimal filtration, no additions other than sulphur. 13,390 bottles 2020 produced.