Boschkloof Kottabos Grenache / Syrah

Kottabos is a Greek drinking game of the highest skill – where after many glasses of wine one elegantly flings the leftover lees from naturally unfiltered wine toward predetermined targets in the room with fellow drinking friends. The relaxed nature of the game by performing its skillful task while still seated at the communal dining table made for great fodder. Kottabos in the case of this wine is a small side project from Reenen Borman of Boschkloof. Here he experiments with other grapes not grown on the estate farm, but still within the Polkadraai Hills, and also presses the boundaries a bit more with more adventurous winemaking techniques.

The Grenache was handpicked Skilpadvlei Vineyard in the Polkadraai Hills and the Syrah came from just down the road from the Boschkloof Estate. Both components were fermented separately in open top picking bins and entirely whole-cluster with 10-12 days on skins. The lots were pressed individually with only the free run juice being used and the Grenache was aged in neutral French 500L puncheons while the Syrah went to concrete. After 11 months the lots were racked and bottled without fining or filtration and only a small dose of SO2.

Tasting Notes:
A subtle but compelling nose of red and black fruit, fynbos, white pepper and a little earth. A nice fleshiness about the wine on entry to go with fresh acidity and grippy tannins, the two varieties combining well to provide both drinkability and complexity

Organic, Vegan, Natural Wine

92 Points – Tim Atkin