2022 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Here's an interesting side-by-side tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch versus Franschhoek. The wine I tasted first is the Boekenhoutskloof 2022 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in barrique for 18 months. Stellenbosch tends to have more vigor and naturally high pyrazines. Farming often involves open canopies, and Cabernet Sauvignon is picked two weeks earlier here compared to Franschhoek. The wines show immediate richness and complexity. No Cabernet Franc is added to this wine because Stellenbosch fruit is spicy on its own, so putting the two grapes together would be overkill. This wine has a tight vein of green herb and rosemary that contributes to a very vertical and intense presentation with a core of black and purple fruits. Vinification for the two Cabernet Sauvignons is basically the same.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
A bit more purple in colour than the Franschhoek Cabernet. Juicy boysenberry and blackcurrant, incense smoke and tobacco notes. There's also an interesting saline character on the palate. The tannins feel bigger and more mouth-filling, but also softer and less grainy, than those of the Franschhoek Cabernet. This is juicier, plusher and more approachable now than its counterpart from Franschhoek, but it still has the structure to age nicely. (JRL)
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch is 100% destemmed and aged for 22 months in 60% new French oak. It has a well-defined, more Bordeaux-like bouquet, with touches of pencil lead infusing the black fruit. It unfurls nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a little oaky at the moment though that will be subsumed with time. Again, it’s quite Left Bank in style, with impressive tension and a slightly chalky-textured finish. As usual, I prefer this to the Franschhoek blend.
This is plush and delicious, showing notes of dark plums, dark chocolate, graphite, violets and some mocha. It’s full-bodied, polished and full of flavor, with ripe and fine-grained tannins. Classy, fresh and long finish. Drink or hold.