Boekenhoutskloof Semillon

Boekenhoutskloof is an indigenous Cape Beech tree greatly prized for making fine furniture. Our Boekenhoutskloof label features seven chairs; amongst them the country-style split splat chair made in the neo-classical style with a shouldered top rail and thonged seat from the late 18th century. Then there's the Sandveld chair that has two back rails and a thonged seat which made its appearance in the second quarter of the 19th century. The transitional Tulbagh chair was made in the late 18th century, it has a plain back and a shaped top rail with half-round opening. The chairs on our wine label all pay tribute to the skills of the 18th century craftsmen and their achievements in creating beauty from natural sources, just like the pursuit of fine wine-making. The first Semillon vineyards were planted in 1902 on the alluvial soils of the Franschoek riverbed with its high loam content. In 1942 there were more plantings on the sandy sites. The wines from these old vines are intensly complex, well structured and have unbelievable ageing potential. The older block was harvested on February 29th with the vineyards on the sandier soils only ripening two weeks later. The grapes are pressed as whole bunches with the juice settling for 2 days. 100% new French oak is used, but because the maturation is done at such low temperatures, the extracting from the oak is minimal. During these 13 months, the wine never gets sulphured and no battonage is done. Lively pear, citrus zest, freshly cut apple and blossom on the nose. On the palate, good wet stone minerality, spiced oak and nutty undertones.