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

Boplaas is a six-generation family estate founded in 1880 in Calitzdorp, a small town in the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains in the Klein Karoo. The Nel family's roots in the area trace back more than 150 years, and Carel Nel, a Cape Wine Master, oversees the estate today alongside winemaker Margaux Nel. Boplaas has built its reputation on fortified wines and pot-stilled brandy, earning the national trophy for port ten times and repeated recognition as South Africa's top Hanepoot producer.

This Hanepoot comes from low-yielding vines planted some thirty years ago by Oupa Danie Nel, Margaux's grandfather. The grapes are hand harvested at optimal ripeness, then fermented naturally for several days in traditional open lagares with gentle, regular pigeage to extract color and aroma. Once fermentation is enriched with a fine wine distillate to halt the process and preserve natural sweetness, the young wine matures for several months in stainless steel before final blending and bottling.

The wine pours a bright lemon yellow with a lime-tinged rim, opening with ripe muscatel grape, pineapple, and lemon rind alongside lychee and winter melon. Honey, raisin, and citrus marmalade notes round out a palate that stays sweet, fresh, and harmonious. Serve it chilled with malva pudding, aged blue cheese, or a spicy Thai curry.