Grapes for our Boekenhoutskloof Syrah are from selected parcels of the finest Syrah planted on our Swartland farms, namely Porseleinberg and Goldmine. These vineyards grow on the rocky bedrock of decomposed Mica-Schist, a unique terroir expressed by the concentrated and structured wines.
The 2018 vintage was the third consecutive drought year and proved to be the most normal since our maiden Swartland vintage in 2015. This harvest yielded more consistent tonnages than previous years which was evident by the healthy, less stressed vines. Day temperatures were notably warmer and night temperatures colder than usual due to the dry conditions with less than half our average rainfall.
Harvest commenced during the second week of February and looked very promising from the onset with little to no adverse weather conditions. These growing conditions produced very healthy Syrah, resulting in less skin-to-pulp ratio producing wines with slightly lower alcohols and more elegant, perfumed fruit and excellent technical analyses.