TN: 2021 Boekenhoutskloof Sémillon (South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley)

WINE TALK
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2021 Boekenhoutskloof Sémillon - South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley (8/4/2026)
New one for me, never had this producer. Grapes from ancient vines dating back to 1902, and some are unirrigated bush vines...love me some bush vines! Mostly Sem, with 3% Muscat d’ Alexandrie...starts out a lot lighter, and more white crystalline fruited than I thought it would be...70%new French oak, 30% concrete eggs...it quickly beefs up a bit, showing a GORGEOUS waxiness to it...this is sexy wax...sun kissed bathing beauty dripping with tropical coconut oil kind of stuff! The fruit is so pure and invigorated with citrus, as well some creamy pear...fresh exotic florals galore...SO exotic and tropical, but more on the subtle side...not full bodied or in your face...has the slightest of heat showing for me(13.5) but I see this integrating out. Plenty smoky flint and crushed rocks for structure...gives it a nice edge to all the prettiness...supposedly these are big time agers...and I can see that. Instant fan here...would love to see what age does to it...and will be one hell of a blind entry with the likes of ANY high end Bordeaux! (95 points)

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So you liked it then?

I’m continually blown away with SA whites especially Chenin Blanc and Semillon. (Not to be negative about the reds I just haven’t tasted that many ). At all price points. One of our house wines is a $13 Chenin. Lots of killer wines in the $40-$90 range.

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I’ve got some 2020’s and '21s hiding away. This is a legendary wine.
Tim Atkin gave the 2020 99 points. That might be a little generous, but they are definitely solid mid-90s.

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Would love to see what age does to it, you say?

Hope this helps!

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Well that was a great read…thank you! 10++ years…got it!

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We discovered Boekenhoutskloof when we were in S.A. in 2015. I really liked their reds. I was only able to find their wines in the US into the late 20-teens. Haven’t seen any of their wines on shelves in the last 5-6 years. Too bad.

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I buy them every year from a few lists I’m on. They do make their way here, just in small quantities.

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I found a few reds in the 90’s on the shelves in NYC, but never saw them anywhere else. Maybe the currency impact is different/better today, but back then their reds were priced the same as solid cru classe Bordeaux, so it was hard to see the value proposition, even if they were solid quality.

Maybe given the limited choices in semillion stateside will give more opportunities for exports.

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They (Semillons) have been in the mid-high $50’s the past few years.