The 2009 Noble Late Harvest is pure Semillon raised in new French oak for thirty months. Just four barrels are produced. It has an attractive bouquet with notes of lemon curd, caramel, apricot jam and orange peel. The palate is well balanced with light, honeyed fruit, good acidity, but a rather static, citric finish that is missing some tension. This is a pleasurable wine, but it is missing complexity. Drink now-2016. It may still be difficult to pronounce but Boekenhoutskloof continues to affirm itself as one of South Africa's leading estates. Mark Kent is an astute helmsman, branching out to regions beyond his base in Franschhoek, for example, into Swartland for his Syrah. I still feel that he could rein in the new oak a little, but otherwise this is another set of superb South African wines.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Alabama. Tel 205-949-6262.

Sourced from their 0.96-hectares vineyard planted in 1997, the 2008 Noble Late Harvest Semillon has a lovely pure honey and quince scented bouquet with touches of orange blossom and quince. The palate is soft and mellifluous on the entry. It is very pure and perhaps a little low in acidity (pH3.59) with a soft, caressing finish.Franschhoek’s Boekenhoutskloof is rightly regarded as one of South Africa’s leading wineries, the only producer I awarded 5-stars in the 7th Wine Buyers Guide (though I would now add more.) The ever-enterprising Mark Kent has recently acquired a vineyard in Swartland that he intends to use for his Syrah. In the winery, he is currently experimenting with fermentation in Nomblot concrete eggs. See also his “Porcupine Ridge” and “Wolftrap” labels.Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Alabama. Tel 205-949-6262.