‘The Cape couldn’t ask for a better ambassador’, raves Neal Martin about The Chocolate Block 2023. A wine that is one of South Africa’s best success stories and continues to wave the South African flag proudly across the globe.
Fruit sourced from Porseleinberg and Goldmine farms make up the backbone of this wine. The 2023 captures Swartland so justly, you’ll want it poured generously throughout your festive gatherings.
Given their impressive production, it’s hard to imagine better quality for the price. This ‘seamless cuvée‘ (Tim Atkin) offers a single solution to impressing guests, pairing dinner, or kicking back.
The 2023 oozes red and blue fruit elegance with alluring iron, fine pepper spices and savage savouriness. This world-famous wine graces the shelves of many stores, but few offer the opportunity to choose from full bottles (750ml), super-festive magnums (1500ml), and try-it-for-yourself half bottles (375ml)! We’ve got them all!
You can purchase yours online here.
Tasting Notes:
‘It’s no mean achievement to produce 1.2 million bottles of a wine that’s as good and as consistent as this. Based on Syrah, with the rest of the blend made up of 11% Grenache, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cinsault and 1% Viognier, it’s a seamless cuvée with fynbos, pepper and liquorice aromas, understated oak and flavours of blackberry, bramble and apricot skins.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2024, 93/100
‘The 2023 The Chocolate Block, arguably the Cape’s most successful brand in terms of both quantity and quality, is a mixture of 70% estate fruit (mainly from Porseleinberg) and 30% from partnership vineyards on reddish soils that have supplied fruit for 15 to 20 years. It matured for 12 to 14 months in 95% used barriques. Fruit picked after the rains was not included in the blend. The 2023 has a fresh nose with redcurrant and pomegranate fruit, earthy notes and a touch of tea leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit and fine acidity, fresh and vibrant with brown spices and black pepper toward the finish. According to the label, production totaled 4,043 barrels in this vintage—it is some achievement to produce a label of such scale at this level of quality. The Cape couldn’t ask for a better ambassador. 2024-2034.’ – Neal Martin, Vinous, 91/100
