Boschkloof Wines

On Polkadraai Road, in the rolling hills between the Helderberg and Simonsberg mountains, Boschkloof occupies a quiet pocket of Stellenbosch that belies the intensity of the wines produced there. Jacques Borman purchased the property in 1996, drawn by the decomposed granite soils and the patchwork of microclimates that make the Polkadraai ward one of the most complex growing areas in the Cape. He had no ambition to build a showpiece estate. He wanted to make wine that told the truth about where it came from.

For years, Boschkloof sold its grapes to larger producers. The vines matured quietly, putting down deep roots into poor, well-drained soils that naturally stress the plants and concentrate flavour in the berries. When Jacques eventually began bottling under the Boschkloof label, the quality of the fruit announced itself immediately. But it was the arrival of his son Reenen that transformed Boschkloof from a respected small producer into one of the most talked-about cellars in South Africa.

Reenen Borman studied viticulture and oenology at Elsenberg Agricultural College, then sharpened his craft with harvest stints at L'Ormarins in Franschhoek and Domaine des Martinelles in the Rhone Valley. He returned to the family farm in 2010 and took over winemaking duties in 2012, bringing a Rhone-inspired philosophy rooted in whole-bunch fermentation, natural yeast, and minimal intervention. His touch is light but deliberate: the wines are structured, aromatic, and unmistakably site-driven.

The Epilogue Syrah is the wine that put Boschkloof on the international map. Sourced from a single vineyard block of old Syrah vines, it is produced in tiny quantities and released by allocation each April. In 2021, the Epilogue became the first South African red wine to score 98 points from an internationally recognised critic, and the 2021 vintage earned a perfect 100-point score in the Tim Atkin MW South Africa Special Report. It is, by any measure, one of the finest Syrahs produced on the African continent.

But Boschkloof is more than one wine. The Conclusion is a Bordeaux-style red blend that shows the estate's range beyond Rhone varieties. The Kottabos, a Grenache-Syrah blend named after the ancient Greek drinking game, captures the Mediterranean character of the Polkadraai slopes. The Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc demonstrate that Reenen's sensitivity to site expression extends to white varieties as well.

The tasting room, recently renovated, sits among the vines on the Polkadraai hillside with views across to the Helderberg mountains. Tastings are paired with artisan cheese and charcuterie platters. Guided cellar tours reveal the hands-off winemaking approach that has made Boschkloof one of the most compelling discoveries on the Stellenbosch wine route. There is no restaurant, no luxury spa, no grand Cape Dutch manor. There is just wine, made by a family that understands its land with uncommon precision.