Boschendal 1685 Shiraz – A Perfectly Pleasing Pepper Party

100% Shiraz from South Africa. Available for around $15.

Sample received courtesy DGB for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“The legend of Boschendal’s wines goes as far back as 1685.

Only grapes from specially selected vineyards in the mountainous areas of the coastal region are used to make the Boschendal Shiraz.

The elevated vineyards produce low yields to ensure great fruit quality. The style is classic, with the wine maturing in French oak for 14 months. The result a wine with deep black fruit flavors, an elegant structure and notes of exotic spice.

14.0% Alcohol”

If you followed my Chardonnay Showdown posts then you may remember that the Boschendal Chardonnay came out with the highest ranking in that competition. Today we have a another wine from Boschendal, and even though we’re tasting a red wine this time my expectations going in were still high and this wine met them.

The 2009 Boschendal 1685 Shiraz begins with pleasant aromas of black cherry, raspberry, spice, and a little bit of oak and vanilla. The wine has a really nice taste of black cherry and other dark fruit plus a little licorice. This Shiraz has great structure with a nice base of fruit and then layers of other flavors on top. My favorite part of the wine was the finish which features a great explosion of spicy pepper but at the same time the great fruit flavors still linger underneath for a long time. A really enjoyable wine to drink. We have ourselves another winner! Boschendal has established itself (in my mind at least) as a South African winery you should definitely check out.

Other recommended buys from Boschendal:
2009 Boschendal 1685 Sauvignon Blanc Grande Cuvée – Complex and Creamy
2009 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay – Hello, It’s Very Nice to Meet You
Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2010 – A One-Of-A-Kind Combo You’ll Want More Than Once

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

All ratings use a simple 10 point scale with 10 being the best. Find out more about my rating systemhere and check out the Interactive Wine Rating Chart to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.