Why it matters
The producer
DGB is a Western Cape wine company built around a portfolio of brands, each carrying its own address and history. The oldest of them, Boschendal, was first planted in 1685 and sits between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch beneath the Simonsberg slopes, making it one of the few wine estates in South Africa to have operated continuously across three and a half centuries. DGB manages the Boschendal wine brand and runs the cellar; the Tabatznik family holds the land, the orchards, and the heritage buildings separately. Two different organisations share one name and one place.
Franschhoek Cellar was not founded by a single family but by a group of Franschhoek grape farmers in 1945. Rather than continue selling their fruit to outside cellars, they pooled resources and built a cooperative winery. The building they put up that year still stands. Fryer's Cove operates from a different geography entirely: Atlantic-facing vineyards on the West Coast, where cooler air and proximity to the ocean produce wines with a lighter frame than anything grown inland.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Boschendal occupies a valley corridor between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, sheltered by the Simonsberg mountain range. The position is warm enough for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz to ripen fully, and the Simonsberg provides afternoon shade that slows the final weeks of ripening, allowing more complexity to develop before harvest.
Franschhoek sits inland and runs warmer. The valley is long and relatively enclosed, with a strong Huguenot settler history that dates to the late 17th century. Franschhoek Cellar draws on vineyards spread across that valley floor and surrounding slopes, blending across parcels rather than vinifying single sites.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Boschendal's approach across vineyard and cellar centres on sustainability. Farming and cellar practices are calibrated to retain the biodiversity of the Simonsberg foothills, including native fynbos vegetation. Nicolas, the estate's flagship red blend, draws on Bordeaux varieties grown on the Simonsberg slopes and receives barrel ageing, contributing the savoury complexity and firmer tannin that separates it from the more accessible tiers in the range.
Franschhoek Cellar works from grapes sourced across the valley, blending for consistency and range character rather than parcel expression. The Baker Station Shiraz goes through a process that delivers ripe mulberry and plum fruit with soft tannins, a signature that suits the warmer Franschhoek conditions. The Churchyard Cabernet Sauvignon receives oak treatment that adds savoury spice without overwhelming the concentrated blackcurrant and mulberry fruit.
Wines to know
The range in view
The DGB range spans three distinct production addresses, and each brand has its own internal hierarchy.
Boschendal's top wine is Nicolas, a Bordeaux-influenced red blend from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, with barrel ageing contributing depth and savoury complexity. Below it sit varietal bottlings in Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Franschhoek Cellar's The Last Elephant. It is a red blend from Franschhoek Valley vineyards, named for the last elephant documented leaving the valley in the late 19th century, and it sits at the top of Franschhoek Cellar's range. The wine combines the dark fruit and warm ripeness typical of the valley with the extra depth and complexity that the flagship position demands. Concentrated on the palate, with rounded tannins and enough dark fruit to hold through to the finish, it gives a clear account of what Franschhoek produces at its most considered level, and the name ensures it stays in the memory after the glass is empty.