2023 Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block — Professional Reviews
The professional consensus is excellent: 91–93 points, averaging about 92/100 across the major 100-point critics.
Style: Syrah-led (74%) with Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Viognier. Critics highlight blackberry/bramble, redcurrant, mulberry, pepper, liquorice, herbs and spice, with bright acidity and silky/fine-grained tannins.
Bottom line: A highly consistent 92-point-class South African red blend, offering impressive quality and polish for its category. Tim Atkin and Decanter lead with 93 points.
The Chocolate Block 2021 marks our 20th vintage of this iconic wine. This vintage will be
remembered for offering moderate weather conditions throughout, extending into the onset of
flowering and even into November, where a decent amount of rainfall was experienced. This had a
positive effect and contributed to optimal flowering and fruit set. The cooler growing season was
beneficial for a slow and extended ripening period, resulting in excellent grape quality. The first
grapes were picked on February 5th – slightly later than usual, in what would become the lengthiest
harvest to date. The 2021 wines show a beautiful, restrained elegance due to the extended hang times
and mild growing season.
"We made an important decision in 2015 to shift from general appellation Western Cape to Wine of
Origin Swartland. The significance is that we can directly manage the majority of the fruit being
vinified for The Chocolate Block and farm the vineyards using our sustainable approach to
viticulture. After more than a decade of working with these Swartland vineyards, our Porseleinberg
and Goldmine farms represent about 60% of the fruit in the final blend. Notably, we can see that the
wines have changed stylistically. It's about the purity of fruit, elegance and structure." - Marc Kent
Syrah is the predominant variety on both farms and makes up 74% of the blend. The Grenache (10%)
from bush vines on Porseleinberg is the quiet superstar of the blend, offering pure fruit brightness and
texture. The extended hang times allowed for elegant Swartland Cabernet Sauvignon (7%). In
summary: The 2021 vintage, although somewhat riper, shows lower alcohol and good natural acidity,
which should develop very well for years to come.
Syrah and Cinsault were matured in a combination of seasoned 2,500L French oak foudres and
barriques. Grenache was matured in seasoned 600L demi-muids. Cabernet Sauvignon was the only
component aged in new French oak barriques. The elevage ranged between 12-14 months, depending
on component and vineyard parcel. 3349 barriques were selected for our 2021 vintage.
