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Banghoek is a little inlet in the Helshoogte region of Stellenbosch – in the saddle between the Simonsberg and the Hottentots Holland. This inlet has (for quite some time) been a secret little harbour for some of Stellenbosch’s finest Cabernet Francs. Starting high up in the valley and moving down there are star Cabernet Franc producers including Rainbow’s End, Oldenburg Estate, and Delaire Graff (higher up, just round the corner), all of whom produce cabernet francs thoroughly worth hunting down.

Down at the entrance to this little geological hidey-hole is Zorgvliet – an estate that regularly produces some particularly distinctive concentrated Bordeaux-style red wines. They offer single-cultivar bottlings of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and – most relevantly for today – Cabernet Franc, but their flagship Rochelle red blend is a Bordeaux blend that more than earns its slightly higher price tag. Zorgvliet is an understated but remarkably consistent performer. If you’ve never encountered Zorgvliet before, then this Cabernet Franc is a great introduction to the estate.

👃🏼 – Nose is fairly open with notes cassis, cocoa, sweet tobacco leaf, dried flowers, cedar wood, blueberry, and black cherry.

👄 – On the palate, it’s the structure is what you notice first: tannins are firm and chalky, with concentrated blue and black fruit components. The overall impression is quite tight, but there is no doubt that it has loads to give. With time in the glass emerge layers of cassis, black cherry, and a hint of brighter red cherry candy  (not unlike a cherry fizzpop) emerges towards the end. Also on the finish are some delightful more savoury roasted berry elements with added pie-crust spice notes. This complex finish makes the tail end feel quite more-ish, even though the tannins are still firm.

🔬 – 100% Cabernet Franc, grown at 300 – 350m ASL. Hand-harvested, and fermented in Stainless steel tanks, before being transferred to small french barrels  to complete malolactic conversion. The wine is matured in 225l French oak barrels, and the wine is racked three times, during maturation. The separate components (earlier harvest alongside slightly later harvest) are matured for 14 months before they are blended. The blended wine is matured for another four months in barrel.