Winemaker Notes
Rich aromas of cassis and spice with intense licorice and blackberry flavors on the palate and fine, lingering tannins.
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine is named after the Botmaskop mountain that once saw bonfires lit at the summit as a warning for encroaching dangers. The Delaire Graff Estate 2021 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Botmaskop is Cabernet Sauvignon, although past vintages have had tiny parts of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec in supporting roles. It ages in French oak, with 40% new barrel. This wine shows a tangy peppery character that is neither too ripe not too rich. What stands out most is an especially defined graphite or mineral element that cedes to elegantly chalky tannins. That chalkiness is what is defines this growing area, and it leans carefully into savory fruit succulence and bright acidity.
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James Suckling
Plenty of cherries, currants, eucalyptus and dried leaves on the nose. Medium body with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Fruity and juicy with a velvety texture. Poised and vivid with a transparent character at the finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.