2020 Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Syrah

The nose is enticing and complex, offering an abundance of dark plums, violets, cured meat and black olives. The dark berry fruit of the nose follows through onto the palate with notes of pepper and allspice. The wine is elegant yet juicy, with grippy tannins and ample acidity to create exceptional balance and structure. The violets of the nose linger on the finish with classic hints of white pepper.

The Porcupine Ridge brand has its origins in the natural environment of the farm and the ongoing efforts to conserve the biodiversity on the property and the surrounding mountains. In addition to a number of rare fauna and flora species – such as the erica lerouxiae which is endemic to Boekenhoutskloof – the farm is home to a several Crested Porcupine families, which are however rarely seen due to their nocturnal lifestyle. “These wines are honest, true to type, and true to cultivar. Our winemaking philosophy has always been to follow a natural approach of no acidification and no additions. The resulting wines are much more about a generous palate weight than simple primary aromatics followed by acidity. ” ~ Marc Kent

The 2020 vintage shows an exceptional balance of fruit and texture due to the cold and wet 2019 winter and mild summer with limited heatwaves leading up to the harvest. These favourable conditions extended the ripening period, allowing healthy Syrah bunches of quality berries and great concentration. 

The Swartland being renowned for producing Syrah, we believe that we can taste the unique climate and sunny shale soils in our wines made from this cultivar. The characteristic perfumey profile is classic, and the abundant violets are a hallmark of Swartland Syrah. We aim for structure and texture with pronounced aromatics, and textbook analysis enabled us to produce a wine with great varietal expression.

 Gentle winemaking practices with minimum intervention contribute to this beautifully approachable Rhône-style wine. We only use French oak barriques and always choose to focus on fruit rather than oak-derived flavours