2023 Boplaas - Calitzdorp Hanepoot Port (fortified) (750ml)

Boplaas Family Vineyards is a six-generation family business rooted in Calitzdorp, a small town tucked among the Swartberg Mountains in South Africa's semi-arid Klein Karoo. The Nel family's history there stretches back to 1880, when their first potstill brandy casks made the long journey by ox wagon and steamship to London, and the farm takes its name, meaning "top farm," from its position on a plateau overlooking the Gamka valley. Today the estate is guided by Cape Wine Master Carel Nel alongside the next generation, including winemaker Margaux Nel, and Boplaas has become one of South Africa's most decorated producers of Cape-style fortified wines.

This Hanepoot, made from Muscat of Alexandria, comes from low-yielding vines planted some three decades ago by Oupa Danie Nel, the winemaker's grandfather, on the estate's iron-red alluvial soils. The grapes are hand harvested at peak ripeness, then naturally fermented in open lagars with manual punch-downs before fortification with wine spirit halts the process and preserves natural sweetness. The finished wine rests sur lie in stainless steel for several months prior to blending and bottling, a technique that adds texture without introducing oak character.

The 2023 shows a bright lemon-yellow hue with a lime-tinged rim, and an exuberant bouquet of ripe Hanepoot grapes, pineapple, lemon rind, and lychee, layered with jasmine, honeysuckle, and faint spice. Vibrant and food-friendly, it pairs beautifully with Cantonese-style roast pork, a spicy Thai curry, or a fresh fruit tart.