2019 Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek

The Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon contains 10% Cabernet Franc and comes from four sites in the valley. Picked a week before the Stellenbosch bottling, it's fresher, gentler and lighter in style, with floral top notes, chocolatey oak, granular tannins and a spicy, herbal, lifted finish.

92P+: The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek is well defined on the nose, presenting blackberry, wild hedgerow and hints of black truffle intermingling with bell pepper aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannins and fine acidity, quite austere toward the finish at the moment, yet fresh and simply needing bottle age. There is something almost Cabernet Franc about this blend, even though that variety comprises just 5% of the total. Still, this feels accomplished.

Aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, suede and whole nutmeg. Full-bodied with fine, structured tannins. Broad shouldered but with elegant black fruit and a hint of oak laced in. Espresso, too. Layered and deep. Sustainable. Best after 2023.

Long and harmonious, this full-bodied red is concentrated and well-meshed, delivering creamy tannins that serve as a fine frame for flavors of crème de cassis, mocha, macerated raspberry and herbes de Provence, layered with a subtle underpinning of fresh, loamy earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.