Tucked into the Polkadraai Hills on the western edge of Stellenbosch are two family-minded cellars that share a postcode, a soil type, and a love of serious red wine.
One is De Toren. The other is us, Boschkloof.
People often ask how we compare, and the honest answer is that we are good neighbours making wine in our own ways from the same special corner of the Cape.
De Toren has built a global name for its Bordeaux-style blends.
We are best known for our Syrah, led by our Epilogue, a wine awarded a perfect 100 points by Tim Atkin MW, and for family roots going back to 1996.
This is a fair, friendly look at De Toren vs Boschkloof, what each cellar is known for, how the styles differ, and how to enjoy both on a day in the Polkadraai Hills.
TL;DR
- De Toren and Boschkloof are neighbouring family cellars in the Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, on the same granite-rich soils.
- De Toren is famous for its Bordeaux-style blends, led by the iconic five-variety Fusion V.
- Boschkloof is best known for its Syrah, led by the flagship Epilogue, which earned a perfect 100 points from Tim Atkin MW and his South African Red Wine of the Year, alongside Bordeaux-style reds and the Kottabos range.
- De Toren leans icon and collector, with intimate appointment-only tastings. Boschkloof offers premium craft with a relaxed, weekday tasting room.
- They sit a short drive apart on Polkadraai Road, so the best answer is often to visit both. Plan a weekday and book ahead.
Same hills, same granite
Both cellars sit in the Polkadraai Hills, a quietly rising corner of Stellenbosch on the road toward False Bay.
The appeal is in the ground and the air.
Weathered, granite-rich soils give the reds structure and elegant tannins, while cool breezes off the nearby ocean stretch out ripening and keep the wines fresh.
It is the kind of terroir that rewards patient, detail-focused winemaking, which is exactly what both cellars are built around.
The shared setting is a big part of why two such respected reds come from farms so close together.
What is De Toren known for?
De Toren is one of South Africa’s most celebrated names in Bordeaux-style red wine.
Its reputation rests on Fusion V, a blend of all five classic Bordeaux red varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, first released from the 1999 vintage and acclaimed ever since.
Alongside Fusion V sit other polished reds such as Z and the Délicaté, all in a refined, age-worthy style.
De Toren is also known for its precise, technology-led cellar and for intimate, appointment-only tastings in its Wine Library, where small groups taste the flagship across vintages.
It is very much an icon-and-collector destination.
What is Boschkloof known for?
Boschkloof is a family-run cellar shaped by three families across more than three decades, founded in 1996 by Jacques Borman and now run with his son Reenen.
Our reputation grew around Syrah, and in recent years it has grown into something rather special.
Our wines have earned some of the highest accolades in South African wine.
Beyond the flagship Syrah, we make a Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, our Conclusion blend, and the more relaxed, characterful Kottabos range, including a Grenache/Syrah and a skin-contact Chenin Blanc.
The idea has always been craft and provenance at a price that lets you actually drink the wine, not just cellar it.
Epilogue: our 100-point Syrah
If Fusion V is De Toren’s icon, Epilogue is ours.
It is a single-vineyard Syrah, made only in the best years and released in tiny quantities by allocation each April, with our Loyalty Club members getting first access.
The accolades speak for themselves. The 2021 Epilogue earned a perfect 100 points from Tim Atkin MW and was crowned his South African Red Wine of the Year, making it one of only a handful of South African wines ever to be awarded a perfect score.
Recent vintages have kept the run going, scoring 99 points and taking Platter’s 5 stars, with an average of around 98 points from Tim Atkin across the last five vintages.
For a small family cellar, it is the kind of recognition that puts Boschkloof, and the Polkadraai Hills, firmly on the world wine map.
What is a 100-point wine?
Wine critics often rate wines on a 100-point scale, made famous by the American critic Robert Parker and used today by respected reviewers like Tim Atkin MW.
In practice the meaningful range runs from the mid-80s upward, where 90 to 95 marks an excellent wine and 96 to 99 a truly outstanding one.
A score of 100 is the very top of that scale.
It is a critic’s way of saying a wine is as close to perfect as it gets, flawless and unforgettable for its style.
Scores like this are extraordinarily rare.
Across his annual South African reports, Tim Atkin MW has awarded only a handful of perfect 100-point scores, and our 2021 Epilogue Syrah is one of them.
In other words, a 100-point wine is not just a very good bottle, it is a wine judged to be among the best in the world, and that is the company Epilogue keeps.
How the styles differ
The simplest way to think about it is focus and feel.
De Toren is laser-focused on Bordeaux-style blends at the icon end of the market, built for collecting and long ageing, and experienced through exclusive, structured tastings.
Boschkloof spans a slightly broader range, led by Syrah and rounded out with blends and the easy-going Kottabos wines, and our cellar door is a relaxed, sit-a-while affair rather than a formal occasion.
Neither approach is better.
They simply suit different moods and different moments, which is what makes tasting them side by side so interesting.
Both flagships, De Toren’s Fusion V and our 100-point Epilogue, are among the wines that have helped put the Polkadraai Hills on the world wine map.
A quick comparison
| De Toren | Boschkloof | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch | Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch |
| Known for | Bordeaux-style blends, Fusion V | Syrah, including Epilogue |
| Signature wine | Fusion V (five-variety blend) | Epilogue, a 100-point single-vineyard Syrah |
| Style | Icon, collector, age-worthy | Premium craft, approachable |
| Tasting | Intimate, by appointment | Relaxed, weekday tasting room |
How to enjoy both in the Polkadraai Hills
Because the two cellars sit only a short drive apart, you do not have to choose.
A morning in the Polkadraai Hills can easily take in both, and the contrast between a structured Bordeaux blend and a perfumed Syrah makes for a memorable tasting.
A few practical notes. Both cellars are on Polkadraai Road, roughly 10 minutes from Stellenbosch town and about 40 minutes from Cape Town.
De Toren’s tastings are intimate and by appointment, so book ahead and confirm their times. Our own tasting room is open Monday to Friday, and booking is a good idea so we can give you a relaxed, unhurried tasting.
These are tasting-focused cellars rather than full restaurant estates, so plan your lunch into the day, and always arrange a designated driver or a wine-tour shuttle so everyone can taste freely.
You are in good company out here too. Neighbours like Reyneke and Mulderbosch are close by, and our guide to the best wine farms in Stellenbosch maps out the rest of the valley.
Come taste with us
The best way to understand two neighbouring cellars is to taste them, ideally on the same unhurried day. Real people, real wine, real rewards, that is the whole idea behind a tasting at our table.
Our Syrah and Bordeaux-style reds are grown on granite-rich soils on Polkadraai Road, from our family cellar to your table.
Book a tasting at the cellar, or shop our wines online and taste the Polkadraai Hills at home over a lazy afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are De Toren and Boschkloof?
Both are in the Polkadraai Hills on the western side of Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape. They sit on the same granite-rich soils a short drive from one another, close to the cooling influence of False Bay.
What is De Toren known for?
De Toren is renowned for its Bordeaux-style red blends, above all Fusion V, a blend of all five classic Bordeaux red grapes first released in 1999. It is regarded as one of South Africa’s icon reds and offers intimate, appointment-only tastings.
What is Boschkloof known for?
Boschkloof is a family-run Stellenbosch cellar best known for its Syrah, led by the single-vineyard Epilogue, which earned a perfect 100 points from Tim Atkin MW and his South African Red Wine of the Year. It also makes a Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, the Conclusion blend, and the relaxed Kottabos range, with roots going back to 1996.
Can you visit both on the same day?
Yes. The two cellars are only a short drive apart in the Polkadraai Hills, so visiting both in a morning or afternoon is easy. Book De Toren’s tasting in advance, check our weekday hours, and arrange a designated driver or shuttle.
Which should I choose, De Toren or Boschkloof?
It depends on what you are after. Choose De Toren for an icon Bordeaux-style blend and a formal, collector-focused tasting. Choose Boschkloof for characterful Syrah, a broader range, and a relaxed family cellar. Many wine lovers happily enjoy both.
Do I need to book, or can I just walk in?
De Toren is by appointment only, so you will need to book ahead. For Boschkloof, our weekday tastings are best booked too, so we can host you properly, though it is always worth a quick call. Booking also means we can tell you what is open and pouring on the day.
Two neighbours, one special corner of Stellenbosch
De Toren and Boschkloof are proof that great wine is about place as much as people.
Two family cellars, the same Polkadraai granite, and two different but equally rewarding takes on Stellenbosch red.
From De Toren’s celebrated Fusion V to our 100-point Epilogue, this quiet corner of Stellenbosch punches well above its size.
The best way to settle the comparison is to taste for yourself, so book a tasting with us and make a day of it in the hills.