Delaire Graff Estate Botmaskop 2022
£27.95
The wine
An opulent and polished blend with classic aromas of cassis and spice, leading to a structured palate with liquorice and blackberry flavours enveloped by fine, lingering tannins.
Botmaskop is the peak above the estate, and this is the flagship red: a Bordeaux blend of all four principal varieties led by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Helshoogte Pass altitude gives cooler ripening than the Stellenbosch valley floor, which shows in the freshness and the fine-grained tannin.
The producer
Delaire Graff Estate
View all Delaire Graff Estate winesDelaire Graff Estate sits on the Helshoogte Pass above Stellenbosch, high on the ridge between the Banghoek and Dwarsrivier valleys with views across to the Simonsberg. Laurence Graff, the diamond dealer, bought it in 2003 and rebuilt it entirely.
Altitude is what distinguishes the site. Stellenbosch is South Africa's most celebrated wine district but much of it is warm valley floor; these vineyards sit high enough on the pass to catch cooler air and the afternoon cloud that spills over the mountains, which slows ripening and preserves acidity. Banghoek in particular is one of the coolest wards in the district.
The estate is as well known for its art collection, restaurants and lodge as for the wine, which has occasionally obscured how good the wine is. Cabernet Franc does especially well here, both as a rose and as the backbone of the Botmaskop blend, named for the peak above the property.
