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Our Current Second Label Review
The Wolftrap 2010
Retail Price: $8
Second Label of Boekenhoutskloof
Retail Price of Boekenhoutskloof: $45
Varietal: Syrah 65%, Mourvèdre 32%, Viognier 3%
Fruit Source: Malmesbury
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasting Notes:
The Wolftrap is a fantastic value from one of South Africa’s top producers. There isn’t a lot of complexity, but for under $10 it is one of the better reds on the shelf. There are generous amounts of pepper, spice and tobacco, along with ripe dark fruit like black cherries and black berries. It’s a full bodied wine with medium tannins and a long finish. Pour liberally!
You can find the 2010 Wolftrap online through our Wine Shop or in the Austin area you can pick it up at Spec’s.
Food Pairing Suggestions:
This would be a great game wine for things like grilled or roasted venison. As we approach BBQ season, I can’t help but think how well this would pair with a plate of beef spareribs too. Or just crack open a bottle for a take-out pizza or a fast-food hamburger. This is a great everyday drinking wine and is versatile with a variety of foods.
About Wolftrap:
Wolftrap is a second label of Boekenhoutskloof (Pronounced “Book-n-Howed”). In 1776, the Boekenhoutskloof farm was founded in the Franschhoek Valley. A Boekenhout is an indigenous Cape beech tree that was greatly prized for furniture making.
The French Huguenots were the first people to settle and employ the soils and Mediterranean climate for growing grape vines. The farm is located 40 minutes northeast of Cape Town. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored. A new vineyard planning program was established and now includes Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.
About Paarl and the Franschhoek Valley:
For most of the 20th century, Paarl was the heart of the South African wine industry. It was the home of KWV, the low-quality cooperative that dominated the industry from its founding in 1918 until the end of apartheid. Gradually the focus shifted southwards to Stellenbosch where Stellenbosch University took on a prominent role as having one of the world’s leading viticulture and winemaking programs.
The Franschoek Valley is a ward of Paarl. A small but significant region, it lies to the west of Stellenbosch. Surrounded by the Drakenstein Mountains, the wide variety of soils and relatively high rainfall permits production of a wide variety of wine styles. It's a hotter region than Stellenbosch, and with its profusion of trendy restaurants it can rightfully claim to be the gourmet capital of the wine lands.
About the Winemaker:
Marc Kent has been responsible for some of South Africa’s most talked about wines for a few years now. Marc’s first Boekenhoutskloof wine was made in 1996, although he and his business partners bought his historic Franschhoek property back in 1993. Winemaking wasn’t his first career choice: he was on course to be a pilot with the South African air force when the changing political landscape derailed this option. Growth has been fairly rapid. From an initial 6000 bottles in 1996, and in 1997 just 1000 more, now production is running at 1.3–1.5 million.
Winemaker’s Notes:
Sourced from Malmesbury in the Swartland the Syrah provides the spice and weight while the Mourvèdre adds structure and aroma to the blend. The pungent Viognier component boosts the perfume profile. French oak matured with the Viognier blended prior to bottling.
Spicy profile with ripe black fruit and cherries. Hints of violet flavours from the Viognier. Smooth and rich on the palate with soft tannins and good density. Made for easy drinking.
Second Label of Boekenhoutskloof
Retail Price of Boekenhoutskloof: $45
Varietal: Syrah 65%, Mourvèdre 32%, Viognier 3%
Fruit Source: Malmesbury
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasting Notes:
The Wolftrap is a fantastic value from one of South Africa’s top producers. There isn’t a lot of complexity, but for under $10 it is one of the better reds on the shelf. There are generous amounts of pepper, spice and tobacco, along with ripe dark fruit like black cherries and black berries. It’s a full bodied wine with medium tannins and a long finish. Pour liberally!
You can find the 2010 Wolftrap online through our Wine Shop or in the Austin area you can pick it up at Spec’s.
Food Pairing Suggestions:
This would be a great game wine for things like grilled or roasted venison. As we approach BBQ season, I can’t help but think how well this would pair with a plate of beef spareribs too. Or just crack open a bottle for a take-out pizza or a fast-food hamburger. This is a great everyday drinking wine and is versatile with a variety of foods.
About Wolftrap:
Wolftrap is a second label of Boekenhoutskloof (Pronounced “Book-n-Howed”). In 1776, the Boekenhoutskloof farm was founded in the Franschhoek Valley. A Boekenhout is an indigenous Cape beech tree that was greatly prized for furniture making.
The French Huguenots were the first people to settle and employ the soils and Mediterranean climate for growing grape vines. The farm is located 40 minutes northeast of Cape Town. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored. A new vineyard planning program was established and now includes Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.
About Paarl and the Franschhoek Valley:
For most of the 20th century, Paarl was the heart of the South African wine industry. It was the home of KWV, the low-quality cooperative that dominated the industry from its founding in 1918 until the end of apartheid. Gradually the focus shifted southwards to Stellenbosch where Stellenbosch University took on a prominent role as having one of the world’s leading viticulture and winemaking programs.
The Franschoek Valley is a ward of Paarl. A small but significant region, it lies to the west of Stellenbosch. Surrounded by the Drakenstein Mountains, the wide variety of soils and relatively high rainfall permits production of a wide variety of wine styles. It's a hotter region than Stellenbosch, and with its profusion of trendy restaurants it can rightfully claim to be the gourmet capital of the wine lands.
About the Winemaker:
Marc Kent has been responsible for some of South Africa’s most talked about wines for a few years now. Marc’s first Boekenhoutskloof wine was made in 1996, although he and his business partners bought his historic Franschhoek property back in 1993. Winemaking wasn’t his first career choice: he was on course to be a pilot with the South African air force when the changing political landscape derailed this option. Growth has been fairly rapid. From an initial 6000 bottles in 1996, and in 1997 just 1000 more, now production is running at 1.3–1.5 million.
Winemaker’s Notes:
Sourced from Malmesbury in the Swartland the Syrah provides the spice and weight while the Mourvèdre adds structure and aroma to the blend. The pungent Viognier component boosts the perfume profile. French oak matured with the Viognier blended prior to bottling.
Spicy profile with ripe black fruit and cherries. Hints of violet flavours from the Viognier. Smooth and rich on the palate with soft tannins and good density. Made for easy drinking.
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Our Rating System & Wine Selection
The most important thing you need to know about our rating system is that we don’t have one. Drinking wine is very subjective and is based on your personal taste and experiences, so things like “90 points” mean something different to everyone. Rather than assigning an arbitrary score to the wines we review, we’re going to tell you a bit about the origin of the wine, its predominant characteristics, ideas for food pairings and our personal opinions of it. We hope that you will share your opinions with us as well.
For the purposes of this website, we will use fairly loose criteria to determine what a second label wine is. In addition to the proper second wines of Bordeaux, we will include declassified wines and wines made by respected producers that are sourced from less prestigious vineyards than their big brothers. We are more concerned with finding great value wine than we are in sticking to a rigid definition of second label, so if you know of a great second label out there that we should review, drop us a line.
For the purposes of this website, we will use fairly loose criteria to determine what a second label wine is. In addition to the proper second wines of Bordeaux, we will include declassified wines and wines made by respected producers that are sourced from less prestigious vineyards than their big brothers. We are more concerned with finding great value wine than we are in sticking to a rigid definition of second label, so if you know of a great second label out there that we should review, drop us a line.