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Porseleinberg Syrah, Boekenhoutskloof 2017

RegionSouth Africa
Subregion South Africa
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietySyrah

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Label

Tasting Notes

An expressive nose of red cherry, sage, rosemary, and black pepper. Full-bodied with fine, silky tannins. Fruity and energetic with wonderful intensity and depth. Savory red and black fruit wash over the palate with an abundance of delicious fresh herbs and ground spice. Long and gorgeous. Drink or hold.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, November 2022

Has any brand in South Africa achieved quite so much as Porseleinberg in less than a decade? This is the best vintage yet from this steep, brutal, extreme schist-rich site and that's saying a good deal. Big, bold and intense, with incredible, almost feral intensity, incense, tar and black pepper aromas and layers of inky dark fruit. A stunning wine from a stunning site, made by a gem of a winemaker. 2022-35

98
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, September 2019

Deep ruby-purple in the glass. Ferrous and smoky on the nose, this is a bloody, rich and dark-fruited Syrah in the mould of Cornas. The palate is thick and peppery, with notes of chargrilled meats, sweet blackberry and ripe forest fruits on the palate. Concentrated, dense and powerful, the oily texture of the fruit is cut by the plentiful, mouthcoating tannins. Bold and muscular through to the finish, notes of dried herbs and freshly cracked pepper linger on, thanks to the 100% whole bunch in the wine. This is very impressive, generous in fruit but strict in structure. It has opened up impressively in the last 3-4 months but still needs another year in bottle. The structure and intensity suggests this will then drink well for 12-15 years.

95+
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, February 2020

This Swartland property is owned by Boekenhoutskloof but run independently by gifted winemaker Callie Louw. Alive and dynamic, this soars out of the glass, a touch of firework smoke to the vibrant berry fruits. Incredible energy and elegance on the palate, great freshness and focus, tiny tensile tannins and zesty acidity. Very long, this crackles on and on. The handsome labels are produced at the estate on a vintage Heidelberg press – but don’t assume there is any style over substance here: the 2017 Porseleinberg is a truly great Syrah.

98
Matt Walls, Decanter.com, October 2022

Closed nose but then the most intoxicating, beautiful fruit purity on the palate: plum and blackberry plus chocolate, smoke, tar, and pepper spice. Profound and impressive, with great length and still lots of youthful charm. (RH)

17.5+
Richard Hemming MW, JancisRobinson.com, May 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.