Boplaas comes full circle in Winemag 10-Year-Old Wine Report

Buying Cape Port is arguably the best investment you can make when it comes to wine, says respected industry veteran Carel Nel of Boplaas. Given the limited options available and exceptionally high ratio of awards to entries, Cape Port is one category that is virtually guaranteed to reward the buyer.

Carel made the statements shortly after the Calitzdorp farm once again top honours in the category for Fortified Wines in the Winemag.co.za 10-Year-Old Wine Report. “Fittingly, this year marks a decade since the report’s inception, a milestone that underscores our belief that true greatness in wine is measured by its ability to age,” the publication said in a recent statement.

The farm’s most recent champion named by the report was the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2016, which received 94 points. Notably, it was also a Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve that took top honours in that very first assessment revealed in 2017. At the time, the report stated that “there is no doubt that South Africa does [Cape Ports] very well indeed and they are, of course, built to last”.

This year’s tasting featured over 60 wines from 36 producers, with only six wines singled out for special recognition and invited to the awards ceremony held at Babylonstoren this week. Boplaas produced the only fortified wine to make the cut.

The Cape Vintage Reserve 2016 is the flagship expression of its kind in Boplaas’s range of fortified wines. Crafted in the traditional style in Calitzdorp, it reflects the estate’s longstanding reputation for producing some of South Africa’s finest fortified wines with exceptional ageing potential.

The biggest component of the wine comprises Touriga Nacional followed by Tinta Barocca, Touriga Francesa and Souzão. Vineyards harvested – by hand - for the wine yielded just five tons/ha and while the Touriga Nacional vines were still young, the Tinta Barocca came from 48-year-old vines planted at the time, in 1968. It was made, as the practice on the farm remains to this day, in traditional open pipes or lagars.

When the wine was released, Boplaas indicated it could be enjoyed immediately but that it would continue to improve over another three decades. “The assessment by Winemag re-affirms our confidence in the quality of our Cape Ports,” says Carel. “Our Cape Vintage Reserve as the top performer in its first report, for a vintage from 2007, and completes the circle now on the 10th anniversary.

“While port is ‘armoured’ for the long run by fortification, savvy wine buyers still recognise that port and especially Cape Port is one of the best investments one can make because of how well they develop over time; and, how well they keep for decades. There’s rarely a moment of apprehension when someone opens an old bottle and worries whether it has stood the test of time.”

The 10-Year-Old Wine Report remains one of the best assessments of its sort, singling out great South African wines based on the ability of entrants to mature well and improve in enjoyment with age. The panel of judges comprised Christian Eedes as chair, James Pietersen of Wine Cellar and hospitality and wine specialist Francois Rautenbach. Janine van Zyl CWM served as associate judge

The results were announced with comments by Christian, who pointed out that across the winelands “the 2016 vintage was defined by high temperatures and drought”.

“Yields were lower than 2015 due to heatwaves and water shortages…,” the report states. “The panel’s view was that while 2016 was undeniably challenging, those producers most attuned to their sites still managed to produce exceptional wines. The Port-style Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve was again among the front-runners, a wine with proven age-worthiness, irrespective of vintage.”

In naming the Calitzdorp wine, the judges described the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2016 as having “wonderfully complex aromatics of black berries, violets, tea leaf, herbs, chocolate and spice while the palate shows great focus - dense fruit, bright acidity and firm yet fine tannins”. The report adds: “Rich, smooth textured, the spirit addition handled exceptionally well.”

Available for purchase and door-to-door delivery, the Boplaas portfolio caters to every palate and pocket, ranging from accessible everyday luxuries to rare, investment-grade masterpieces. For those seeking vibrant fruit and immediate enjoyment, there’s the Cape Ruby (approx. R110).

Enthusiasts of age-mellowed complexity can explore the Cape Tawny and Vintners Reserve Bin 1880 (ranging from R250 to R400). At the pinnacle, sit the Cape Vintage and Cape Vintage Reserve - highly structured, dark, and aromatic ports crafted for decades of cellaring. These flagship expressions, often earning amongst others, 5-star Platter ratings, range from R150 for younger vintages to R1,600 for exceptional, limited-release Colheita (single-harvest) Tawnies.

Boplaas Cape Ports may be ordered along with the farm’s outstanding table wines and spirits, from www.boplaas.co.za.