BlackBook The smart guide Boekenhoutskloof Recognised as the country’s top operation in 2012 by Platter’s, South Africa’s wine bible, Boekenhoutskloof is the brainchild of Marc Kent, who oversees production of various vintages, including an impressive sémillon and the blockbuster Chocolate Block, which takes coffee-tinged syrah as a base, then blends in grenache noir, cabernet sauvignon, viognier and some cinsault for a punch of lollipop fruitiness. It’s no wonder Kent’s wine was tapped by El Bulli when the restaurant was open. Excelsior Rd, Franschhoek; boekenhoutskloof.co.za Boschendal One of the oldest Cape wine estates and formerly the property of Cecil Rhodes himself, Boschendal offers a timewarping glimpse into the pioneering Huguenots’ wealth: lavish H-shaped Cape Dutch buildings are pristinely whitewashed and topped with tidy thatched roofs. Come for the spicy, peppery 1685 Shiraz, named after the date on the farm’s title deeds, or a stand-out MCC Grande Cuvée Brut – Méthode cap Classique, shorthand for South African sparkling wine. Pniel Rd, Franschhoek; boschendalwines.com Chamonix Maps and charts tracking Huguenot settlements line the walls of Chamonix’s rustic tasting room, which features a fireplace and rough-hewn wooden shelves. Winemaker Gottfried Mocke produces only from grapes grown on the estate, which sits mountainside, meaning the air is cooler than it is on the valley floor. This is ideal for pinot noir and chardonnay; try the 2011 Vineyard Reserve, which spent 11 months in wood, 50 percent of that time in new French oak. Uitkyk St, Franschhoek; chamonix.co.za La Motte Chic and minimalist La Motte is a passion project of Han neli Rupert- Koegelenberg , opera-singing scion of the Richemont-owning dynasty. She invested in a tasting room sleekly designed with glass walls on one side, behind which rests a roomful of ageing barrels. Try a bottle of the fruity, cinnamon-scented Millennium 2011 blend or the rarefied Pierneef Shiraz Viognier 2010. Rupert-Koegelenberg also repurposed the sturdy old Cape Dutch buildings of the historic farm with clear nods to their heritage; look for the woven leather bases on wood-framed seating known as riempie, a classic South African technique. R45 Main Rd., Franschhoek; la-motte.com. Stark-Condé In Stellenbosch’s Jonkershoek Valley, Stark-Condé’s tasting room is a fairy - -tale- like cottage surrounded by weeping willows on an island in the middle of a lake. Hand-built in Bali, it resembles a teahouse, a fitting nod to the half-Japanese heritage of Marie Stark, who runs the adjacent Postcard Café. At the winery, co-owned by her husband, José, and her father, Hans Schröder, the standout is the Field Blend), in which four white grape varieties are grown, picked and pressed together. Jonkershoek Rd, Stellenbosch; stark-conde.co.za MARK ELLWOOD And Stay Here… Jeweller Lawrence Graff’s Delaire is one of the wine country’s gems, in particular for its Platter’s five-star 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve but also because the luxury rooms are the ideal place to retire after a day spent sampling the region’s wines. R310, Helshoogte Pass; delaire.co.za illustration john hutton 36 CENTURION-Magazine.COM
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