South Africa:
Boschendal and other DGB wines
DGB
(Douglas Green Bellingham) are the owners of the Boschendal,
Franschhoek Cellar, Bellingham and other South African wine brands.
I had the opportunity recently to taste some of their
Boschendal wines, and a couple of other wines.
Boschendal
The Boschendal estate lies in the Franschhoek valley.
According to the title deeds for the estate, it dates back to 1685,
which makes it one of the first wine estates in the Franschhoek valley.
The earliest recorded owner was Jean le Long, a French Huguenot who
brought his French viticultural heritage to the estate from 1688
onwards. Passing through various hands over the ensuing
centuries, after phylloxera struck in the Cape in the 1880s and 1890s,
Boschendal, along with other former wine farms, was purchased by the
infamous Cecil Rhodes, and it formed part of his Rhodes Fruit Farms
business. In the late 1960s, the estate was taken over by the
Anglo American Corporation, who set about re-establishing Boschendal as
a wine producer, and this has continued under successive owners.
I didn't have long to taste these wines, unfortunately, so
these are only quick impressions, but I was certainly favourably
impressed.
- 2016 Boschendal Chenin Blanc Sommelier Selection
- South Africa, Coastal Region
Very light chenin nose that almost feels a touch sauvignon-like.
Terrific palate. Drinks beautifully. Very impressive. 93/100
- 2016 Boschendal Chardonnay Appellation Series Elgin
- South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin
A straightforward chardonnay nose.
Oaky, complex palate. But nothing special. 85/100
- 2017 Boschendal Chardonnay Pinot Noir -
South Africa, Western Cape
Oddly, the bottle looks like this is going to be a sparkling wine, but
is a very pale, almost vin gris colour still rosé.
Attractive nose. Maybe it's the bottle shape putting ideas into my
head, but it seems to have a feel of champagne on the nose, but without
the lees.
Very attractive in the mouth, with lots of character. 91/100
- 2016 Boschendal Pinot Noir Appellation Series Elgin
- South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin
Nice, open, attractive pinot noir nose with red fruit forward.
All working well on the palate. Poised red fruit. Some oak evident.
Good character. 88/100
- 2016 Boschendal Pinotage Sommelier Selection
- South Africa, Western Cape
(Served blind)
Dull nose. Some black fruit maybe.
Black plum, but with a bit of a burnt note. Fine but not doing anything
for me. Oh. It's pinotage. Now it makes sense. 83/100
- 2015 Boschendal Merlot Appellation Series Elgin
- South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin
Very deep, brooding black fruit on the nose.
Deep and complex on the palate. Still brooding, but it's decent
drinking now. Actually, this is really impressive. 92/100
- 2014 Boschendal Black Angus - South
Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
A blend of 66% shiraz, 12% petit verdot, 11% cabernet sauvignon and 11%
cabernet franc.
Rich black fruits on the nose with a nice lift.
Good concentration and depth on the palate. Impressive. Works well.
92/100
- 2014 Boschendal Grande Syrah
- South
Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
Good, deep syrah nose.
Well made and impressive. Super depth of flavours. 90/100
Two other DGB wines
- 2015 Franschhoek Cellar The Last Elephant
- South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
60% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% petit
verdot, matured in new oak for 22 months followed by 24 months in
bottle before being released.
Quite a dusty, cedary black fruit nose.
Impressive palate: concentrated and powerful, with notable tannins.
Open and plush. 90/100
- 2015 Brampton Roxton - South Africa,
Coastal Region
A blend of 49% shiraz, 34% petit verdot, and 19% malbec.
Impressive nose. Very promising palate: rich, deep black fruit with a
velvety chocolatey flavour.
Needs time. 88/100 for where it is at the moment, but with the promise
of 91-92/100 if it develops as I think it might.
Named after a prize bull apparently.
