Porseleinberg
Porseleinberg is part of the famous Boekenhoutskloof winery from Franschhoek, South Africa. Porseleinberg's vineyards are located in Swartland. The area which lies northeast of Franschhoek. Due to its location - from the west coast to the mountains of Cape Fold Belt inland - Swartland has many microclimates that are very suitable for viticulture. In winter, the landscape is coloured dark by the native shrub renosterbos. That is why Jan van Riebeeck called it 'Die Swart Land'.
Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof was looking for new vineyards for, among other things, his Chocolate Block wine. During this search, he came across a beautiful estate, which was located on the Porcelain Mountain in Swartland. Instead of using the grapes for his other wines from Boekenhoutskloof, he decided to produce a premium Swartland wine. Together with winemaker Callie Louw, they chose to produce one wine from syrah. The mountain gets its name from the fact that there is a lot of kaolin clay in the soil; an important ingredient for making porcelain. You will also find a lot of blue schist in the vineyard. The vineyard covers an area of 36 hectares and is entirely farmed organically.
When the grape bunches reach optimum ripeness, they are harvested by hand and then bruised by foot. During fermentation, the skins are continuously submerged for maximum extraction. Then part of the wine matures in Nomblot eggs (concrete) and part in large foeders. The Porseleinberg Syrah is powerful with firm tannins and lots of dark fruit. In addition, the wine has excellent ageing potential. Porseleinberg's syrah is undoubtedly among the best wines in South Africa and is not inferior to a beautiful Rhone wine.
Porseleinberg makes essentially one wine: the Porseleinberg Syrah, a single-vineyard wine from the Swartland. The style is dense and dry, with red and black fruit, fynbos and spice notes, fine grippy tannins and a long, salty finish. Alcohol is generally moderate for the region, and the wine is built to age for many years. It is regularly compared to Côte-Rôtie or Cornas in blind tastings, and bottles are highly sought after.
Porseleinberg's best vintages are: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Read more