One of the problems confronting vinous legends is that the headlines are taken for granted. Kanonkop, Meerlust, Rustenberg, Vergelegen - when they pick up a trophy or a Platter five star it seems so much less newsworthy than when a newcomer stumbles into the limelight for the first time.

Boekenhoutskloof - the Franschhoek cellar which Marc Kent has run from the moment he left Elsenberg in the mid-1990s (and whose first and only winemaker he is) - has been a prolific recipient of Platter Five Star ratings. There cannot have been many, if any, wineries which have garnered 10 such awards over this period. (The latest judging - which took place just over a month again - awarded five stars to the 2008 Cabernet.)

Accordingly, this cellar's performance hardly appears newsworthy: the more it collects high scores, awards and international recognition the more it confirms the widely held view that it is one of the country's undisputed premium wineries.

Its problem is compounded by the singular rarity of its wines. With only a thousand cases or so of each of its core lines - Cabernet, Syrah, Semillon - and tiny amounts of Noble Late Harvest and the ultra-rare Journeyman, it rivals the nonavailability of Burgundy's postage- stamp size domaines. Producing minuscule amounts of super-premium wines is not Kent's sole responsibility to his partners and shareholders. Over the years he has created a couple of parallel brands whose success has made possible the relatively moderate pricing of the Boekenhoutskloof selection.

Chief among these is Porcupine Ridge, one of the Cape's great value ranges. Most of them retail for about R50 and all overdeliver at the price point. The latest newcomer to the range is a Viognier-Grenache blanc blend, which comfortably rivals anything under R100 in the growing category of white Rhone style wines.

The Viognier (which offers lovely peachy whiffs) is not overly dominant, and the Grenache gives the wine breadth and texture.

Commercially, the cellar's most important brand is The Chocolate Block. Essentially a Rhone-style blend (with some Cabernet) launched to meet the specifications of one of the UK's major retail groups several years ago, it has grown dramatically and now accounts for more than 10 times the volume of the total Boekenhoutskloof offering.

As the wine retails at about R150 a bottle, it is easy to see how it serves the ultra-premium range from a fruit selection and price subsidy perspective. But Boekenhoutskloof is ultimately about the wine sold under the cellar's name. Here, for me, the Cabernet and the Semillon are the stand-out wines (though the 1997 Syrah - made with fruit from a vineyard which has since been replanted - is rightfully one of the modern legends of Cape wine).

The latest Noble Late Harvest - more Sauternes-like than ever - is also worth tracking down. And the current (2007) Journeyman - Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon without the Merlot of the 2005 - has lovely concentration, intensity and length.

While most of the top cuvées are officially unobtainable, Kent believes in keeping in touch with his customer base. It's worth getting on the cellar's mailing list for the few bottles of the top wines you might receive on allocation.