Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek South Africa 2020 (14.5% ABV) – 91.3
SF | Smoky, deep, mineral nose, with herbs, a hint of chocolate, loganberry, and figs. The palate is impressive, with depth, chalky tannins, and a broad, resonant finish. Resourceful, resonant, and long on the palate, this example is both elegant and long, its complexity tightly knit but self-evident. 93
AR | A youthful ruby in color, the oak-spice and lively, mulberry-fruit freshness and coffee-oak draw you into this wine right from the start; and while still youthful to taste, it's past the primary-fruit stage and evolving nicely, with an approachable, juicily ripe, mulberry and blackcurrant fruit quality that's tempered by oak and fresh acidity, making it not just easy but a pleasure to drink, even if there's enough fruit structure within a powerful framework to ease it through to the next phase of its development. 92
DW | An attractive cedary quality to the high-toned fruit; a palate of cooked blackcurrant, some graphite and firm but fine-grained tannin; upright and firm, perhaps just missing an element of refinement. 89