Sadie Family Wines

Assessing a Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc Mini-Vertical: Vintage 2017 to 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Skurfberg Mountain is part of the Citrusdal mountain area and the word Skurfberg (Rugged Mountain in Afrikaans) mainly refers to the edgy and rough appearance of the mountain. The soil is mainly decomposed Table Mountain sandstone formations and tends to be very sandy. It is regarded as a truly great site for Chenin Blanc, and it is most unusual that such a warm and dry area still produces wines with this enormous texture and balancing freshness.

Together, the three low-yielding parcels Sadie Family Wines uses represent the possibilities of the area, each offering something unique to the complexity of the final blend. The one site has huge aromatic fruit concentration; the second offers an earthy character and overt minerality, and the third (the highest, and closest to the Atlantic Ocean) retains amazing acidity and freshness. The three parcels of fruit are vinified separately.

Winemaking: The grapes are picked in small 20kg picking crates and then placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature. Eben Sadie considers this an essential step in the Swartland where temperatures are often 35 degrees C and more during harvest time; and pressing warm grapes comes with a series of potential challenges. The cooling process is followed up by whole bunch pressing. The process takes about three hours and during this time there is a margin of settling of the juice in the collecting tank. The juice is then transferred to two older foudre where it is left undisturbed until natural fermentation starts. The fermentation process can sometimes take up to 10 or more days to initiate and can last anything from 1 to 6 months, sometimes only finishing during the next spring, by which time the malolactic fermentation would often have come to completion as well. The wine is left in cask on the fermentation lees for 12 months and bottled directly off the lees. They add about 50ppm of sulphur 2 weeks prior to bottling and bottle directly from the cask.

2017 Producer Note: “Skurfberg fruit came in fully ripe in 2017 and produced a very serious wine in the Chenin arena. The aromatics are very spicy, white pepper with some flinty tones that then cross over into again the stone fruit aromas of apples and pear skin. There is also a minerality that is running throughout the wine and not only on the aromatics, but it carries through to the palate. This wine needs a serious plate of food.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2017, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.

A more creamy expression on the nose, quite leesy and biscuity. Also a bit of delicious pear fruit. Juicy and tangy on the palate, delicately pithy, deceptively grippy but finishes with a cool, vibrant precision. No real rush but keep an eye on it. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2018 Producer Note: “The Skurfberg up in the Clanwilliam mountains was definitely the area most affected by the drought. Not only did these vineyards receive less rain, but with half the normal rainfall and the extremely well-drained, decomposed Table Mountain sandstone soils the combination was just suicidal. We only managed to pick 30% of the grapes we collect in a normal year. The wine is unbelievably harmonious and poised and it actually does not show much of the drought other than a slightly lower alcohol level and a higher acidity than normal – we picked earlier to try and save as much of the vine reserves as we could. Drinking this wine is the closest we’ll probably get to walking on crystal.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2018, WO Olifants Rivier, 13.5% Abv.

A very saline, tangy expression of Chenin full of white peach, pear and green apple aromatics.  Full and mouthwatering on the palate, packed with pear and peach fruits but essentially a very vibrant expressive and pure focused Skurfberg. Impressive concentration and really no rush if you have in your cellar. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2019 Producer Note: “Following the trajectory to the northern territories of the Citrusdal Mountain area the Skurfberg yields, just like those of the Soldaat, were suicidally low and we managed to bottle only a third of our usual production. The 2019 displays amazingly concentrated stone fruit and quince flavours with a pronounced mineral note, very good acidity and freshness. In many ways this is one of the purest forms of Chenin we have had in the tank to date.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2019, WO Olifants Rivier ,14% Abv.

A more honied, opulent aromatics with notes of bees wax and melted wax candles. Rich and punchy, this is a block buster from the outset – broad but also fresh and intense but super long on the finish. Wow! A big, big, big vintage. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2020 Producer Note: “This 2020 vintage of Skurfberg was a very limited production as yields again dwindled down, the drought in the Cederberg Mountains continued and we opted to reduce the yield in order to save reserves. This 2020 is an incredibly compact and viscus expression of Chenin Blanc and the stone fruit and peach skin aromas are followed up by a very mineral expression and some tropical aromas in the background. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is perfectly nestled in between the fruit and the tannin. Please give wine the time in the bottle.” ~ Eben Sadie.

Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg Chenin Blanc 2020, WO Olifants Rivier, 14% Abv.

Wow, what a beautifully fragrant Skurfberg with hints of yellow peach, honey, and buttered white toast. Full, fresh, and fleshy on the palate, this is a powerful, dense expression. Really amazing, this tops the line-up with its structured, balanced by power. A really sophisticated age worthy success for a vintage that often leans to the earlier drinking side. No rush here however. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Unveils An Eye-Catching Array of 2023 Vintage ‘Distriksreeks’ Old Vine Whites…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Tasting the new release whites from Eben Sadie is always one of the fine wine highlights of the year. With the 2023 wines now mostly safely in collectors’ cellars, I thought it would be a good time to publish my notes from a recent tasting at 67 Pall Mall in London where we drank these enthralling new white releases over dinner. Tasting is one thing, but drinking a fine wine is a completely different affair, allowing one to fully appreciate the wines.

As Eben Sadie showcases his new multi-million rand wine cellar on his Paardeberg farm, he has also decided to tweak his Old Vine Series range, renaming it the “Distriksreeks” or District Series, for reasons as he explains below.

“The South African wine industry, in a testament to its commitment to quality and authenticity, embraced the significance of origin in 1973. This commitment was further solidified by its enforcement through law, as the importance of demarcation and origin continued to grow. The districts, the most significant of these early demarcations, remain the cornerstone of the origin scheme. We essentially work with the following districts: SWARTLAND (Skerpioen, Pofadder, Treinspoor, Voetpad & Rotsbank, Columella & Palladius), CITRUSDAL MOUNTAIN (Skurfberg, Kokerboom & Soldaat) and last but not least, for good measure we work with STELLENBOSCH with the Mev. Kirsten vineyard. As time passed, we realised that our focus had moved to the regionality of the districts and their characteristics. We now want to highlight the notion of the individual terroirs rather than the mere age of the vines. The site will always be more important than any other singular condition.” – Eben Sadie

“This 2023 Rotsbank bottling displays match flint, almost crushed oyster shell aromas with grapefruit aspects. The wine is incredibly concentrated on the aromatics, and the tannins have massive tension. The wine’s substantial acidity and dry finish suggest that it will only benefit much from the time in the bottle. It is one of the most linear expressions of the year. It is a blue steel Chenin.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks Rotsbank 2023, 13.5% Abv.

Crystalline and star bright in the glass with a youthful green tinge, alluring struck flint reduction, crushed Granite minerality, crunchy green apple, and wet straw aromatics. Intense, linear, incredibly focused and precise with a big mid-palate breadth but a slightly clipped entry and finish in its youth. Give this time to fully flesh out and fill its frame. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

“For this 2023 Skurfberg vintage, we also opted to pick seemingly prematurely, as it is in the Citrusdal Mountains and shares the same seasonal dynamics. The physiology of the fruit seemed delayed, yet the wine also yielded 13.9% alcohol. The combination of the volume of the wine and the firm acidity makes for an incredible wine that is essentially built to last. The trademark granny smith apple, pear skin, and lanolin are very present in the aromas. The wine’s viscosity and volume, combined with the cutting acidity, suggest that this vintage has the mechanics to age incredibly well, like Kokerboom.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks Skurfberg 2023, 14% Abv.

Displays tight slightly muted aromatics. But notes of earthy bruised yellow orchard fruit, waxy lemon peel, savoury pithy grapefruit and crushed minerals fill the nose. Broad yet taut, fresh, intense and fantastically focused, the flavours are joined by white peach, pear puree, lanolin, wet stone minerality, lemon thyme and a hint of dried guava roll on the finish. Tightly wound but plenty more to come. Drink 2028 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Special neck tag on the Skurfberg commemorating vineyard owner Basie van Lill.

“The 2023 Mev. Kirsten displays limey, citrus and melba toast aromas being coated by a fresher aspect that spills over into pear skin and green apple pulp freshness that continues. The vintage’s trademark across all the Chenin Blanc vineyards is that we yielded full wines with beaming acidity and linear finishes. As a result, this is one of the more restrained vintages in character with incredible complexity. As always, the wine has a substantial volume and viscosity.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks Mev Kirsten 2023, 14% Abv.

The aromatics are packed with lemon and lime peel, green apple, dried green baking herbs, wet granite minerality and a hint of crunchy yellow peach. Full, rich, round and textural, the concentration is punchy, fabulously intense with a prickly acidity together with notes of quince, yellow apple, and a gentle herby fynbos finish. Simply superb. Drink from 2028 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

“The 2023 Skerpioen displays the usual limey and citrus flavours associated with the vineyard. This wine’s distinctive saline qualities, salty taste, and minerality are again prominent. The Chenin and Palomino field blend is very stable annually in its expression. The tannins and the acidity are slightly softer than in the last two vintages, and this vintage could be savoured earlier as the balance and mouthfeel are already very balanced.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks Skerpioen 2023, 13% Abv.

Taut, pristine and crystalline, this is a next level, top drawer Skerpioen release with notes of wet slate, rain on granite, over pear and white citrus nuances. The palate echoes the nose, beautifully crystalline and pure, vibrantly fresh and precise with taut linear acids, a glassy texture, and a long intense saline stony finish. Wow! Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

“This 2023 ‘T Voetpad displays limey, cordial, and citrus aspects with a racy entry point. The wine is firm and tightly coiled up, and it seems it is almost not ready to talk to us yet! It needs so much time. This vintage field blend is in perfect harmony, but we believe this will become one of the most age-worthy proponents. The wine is incredibly balanced and compact. We are looking forward to trying it again in 4 to 20 years to see where its development takes it.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks ‘T Voetpad 2023, 13.5% Abv.

A rich nuanced aromatics with plenty of wet straw notes, dried herbs, intense fynbos with a dusting of tea leaf dust. Medium to full bodied on the palate, deliciously joined up and harmonious, glycerol and fresh with tangerine, yellow peach and hints of yellow grapefruit on the long finish. A gastronomic marvel. Drink from 2028 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

“2023 Kokerboom displays the typical waxy, lanolin characters often associated with Semillon. For the second year running, we had very little rain in the Citrusdal Mountains, and the vineyard was in a stressful environment throughout the growing season. We opted again to pick the vineyard slightly earlier than what we naturally would be inclined to, and the wine still yielded 13,8% alcohol; notwithstanding its fresh appearance, it is mammoth wine. The tannins, acidity, overall texture, and volume in the wine are incredible, and we are in awe of the power of this terroir.” – Eben Sadie

Sadie Family Wines Die Distriksreeks Kokerboom 2023, 13.8% Abv.

A lovely expressive green apple and stemy aromatics with stalk spice, green herbs, thyme, sweet lemon, and delicious fynbos spice. Full and seductive on the palate, this is rich, intense and textured with herbs and spice, honied fig and apple puree.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Sadie Family Wines are imported into the UK by FMV / Berry Bros & Rudd.

Celebrating World Chenin Blanc Day Tasting Two of the Most Incredible Expressions Produced – Sadie Family Rotsbank 2022 vs Alheit Vineyards Gone South 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

After world Drink Chenin Blanc Day on the 8th of June, it’s important to sit back and reflect on just how far the South African wine industry has come in the past two decades with regards to producing quality Chenin Blanc from unique terroir sites, using incredible old vine vineyard fruit. Some of the expressions being produced in South Africa now by producers like Sadie Family Wines, Alheit Vineyards and others, represent the pinnacle of what is possible quality wise with this cultivar, that was once regarded as a simple work horse variety only worthy of high yields for the purposes of distillation, or at a stretch, bulk white wine production.

The Chenin Blanc Day Taste Off…

So, what better way to celebrate this truly unique cultivar than by tasting two wines from 2022 that have recently captured the imagination and interest of fine wine buyers and collectors the world over. Firstly, the Rotsbank Chenin Blanc 2022 that represents the maiden release under the Sadie Family Wines label of this Swartland vineyard.

Eben walking the Rotsbank vineyard thick with cover crops.

The Rotsbank vineyard is located in the Paardeberg in the Aprilskloof on a rock shelf just behind the back entrance of the Sadie Family farm that barely has 30 – 50 cm of soil in most parts. It is incredible to think that this vineyard survives year after year. Many of the roots in the soil have found cracks in this rock shelf, and the limited natural growth of this vineyard makes for incredibly concentrated fruit. Since 2008 Eben Sadie has wanted to produce a pure Swartland Chenin Blanc, but the 2022 vintage materialised as the first after he was very fortunate enough to get the opportunity to purchase the vineyard.

The Rotsbank Chenin Blanc vineyard in the Paardeberg, Swartland.

After harvesting, the Rotsbank Chenin Blanc grapes are placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature since the average temperatures at harvest are often 35 degrees C or more – pressing warm grapes comes with a series of problems. They then do whole bunch pressing, a process that takes about 3 hours, during which time there is a margin of settling of the juice in the collecting tank. The juice is then transferred to two old foudres for fermentation. The wine is left in a cask on the fermentation lees for the first 12 months and is bottled directly from the fine lees. Only about 60ppm of sulphur is added two weeks before bottling.

The declassified Magnetic North 2022

The second wine tasted comes from the other great white wine maestro, Chris Alheit, who has over the past decade and a half, established himself as one of the most sought after premium white wine producers in South Africa. Magnetic North is also, like the Rotsbank, a single origin Chenin Blanc wine. Since its maiden vintage in 2013, this wine has become a perennial star in the Alheit line-up with an almost mythical reputation. Every vintage the wines manages to combine power and finesse in a way very few other Chenin Blanc vineyards from anywhere (not just the Cape) are able to do. So when Chris Alheit decided to “declassify” the Magnetic North for the 2022 vintage on account of it not having the requisite power and structure expected of a Magnetic North Chenin Blanc, a lot of eyebrows were raised.

But did the Magnetic North 2022 merit declassification? The grapes come from two ungrafted Skurfberg vineyards which Chris Alheit felt weren’t quite up to standard in 2022 and subsequently decided to release the wine as “Gone South” selling for almost half the price of a bottle of Magnetic North. For many, like Christian Eedes, the editor of Winemag.co.za in South Africa, it was considered Chris was perhaps being a little too overcautious, and a mega score of 98/100 was bestowed on the declassified Gone South 2022 regardless. So, what better two wines to examine in minute detail and put through their paces in a head-to-head, sighted, taste-off!?

Alheit Vineyards Gone South Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Citrusdal Mountain, 13% Abv.

A profound expression of Chenin Blanc that boasts complex aromatics of dried herbs, fresh hay, fynbos, crushed gravel, grated lemon peel and pithy yellow orchard stone fruits. A beautifully elegant harmonious creation with delicacy and finesse, incredible balance and harmony, and an impressive concentration of white peach, honied pear, and a beguiling liquid minerality with a classical saline maritime kiss on the finish. A very fine wine that is so deliciously mouthwatering and drinkable now. Outstanding.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Rotsbank Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

A thoroughly compelling offering from Eben that justifies his passion to make this his first single varietal Swartland Chenin Blanc in his range. Showing a hint of flinty reduction, the stony mineral characters give way to notes of wet hay, wet wool, quince puree, peach and honey, and the typical savoury bruised yellow orchard fruit character so common in Swartland. The massive concentration suggests a higher RS than the 1.5g/l level but obviously it’s simply the incredible dry extract that highlights the wines intensity, power and persistence. A flirty, opulent offering of old vine Chenin Blanc that has found a perfect home in Eben’s famous old vine series collection… the first new addition in 13 years. Bravo Eben!

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Alheit Vineyards Gone South was only released cellar door to the local South African market for circa £20pb (R495) but the other Alheit wines are available in the UK on allocation from Dreyfus Ashby. The Sadie Family Wines are available on allocation from FMV, the wholesale trade arm of Berry Brothers & Rudd for circa £50pb.

Assessing a Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Vertical Ahead of the 2023 Judgement of Wimbledon Grenache Tasting…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Sadie Family Wines are located in the Swartland region of South Africa and is without doubt one of South Africa’s most sought-after producers. But it wasn’t always like this. Before Eben Sadie settled down to carve out his career as a winemaker, he travelled and worked extensively in several major wine regions of the world, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Oregon and Burgundy. After returning to South Africa, he found employment alongside South African icon Charles Back, at The Spice Route in 1998. Sadie Family Wines, as we know it today, was founded in 1999, with the first two vintages produced at Charles Back’s Spice Route facilities.

While everything Eben puts his hand to nowadays becomes instantly collectable, his personal winemaking focus remains his signature wines, namely his white blend Palladius and his red Syrah based blend, Columella. But the fine wine world often has other designs, relentlessly craving his small production single vineyard wines made from some of South Africa’s oldest vineyards in the Cape. One of these, the Soldaat Old Vine Series, is made from ungrafted and unirrigated old bush vines that are planted at 708m altitude on decomposed granite soils on a 6-hectare site that Grenache shows such a great affinity for, and it really shows on this incredible wine. After manual harvesting, fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Maceration and fermentation is carried out in concrete tanks for 30 days and aging lasts on average 12 months in old oak barrels.

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2012

Pronounced earthy, sappy, green leaf style with notes of dried herbs, fynbos, sandalwood and leafy red currant tangy berry fruits. The acids are electric, cool and glassy. Just a measured amount of tertiary complexity developing. 92/100? (95/100 Jan 2023 Tasting)

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Note: In the original vertical tasting, this wine seemed more evolved and savoury, but on tasting again in January 2023 from a different batch, the wine positively radiated energy and freshness, implying that the 2012 bottle initially assessed was perhaps not in top condition. Even my note on this wine in 2016 said… “you best bury a few bottles away if you have any left! (Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW) – This could potentially be a 95, 96, 97 point classic one day when it nears maturity. Yes, it’s that good!”

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2016

Lovely warming nose of strawberry jam on warm scones, crushed gravel and sweet fynbos herbal notes before bramble berry fruits with a distinct savoury, meaty finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2017

Definite note of reduction evident with hints of wet slate, crushed chalk, black currant, oyster shell and bramble berry spice. The palate is taut and compact, sappy and intense with a creamy textural balance and a herby, brambly, savoury finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2018

Lovely bright red fruited nose with red currant, crushed strawberry and bramble berry spice. Palate is glycerol, dense and super serious with stony tannins, graphite spice and a savoury red berry finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2019

Offers a beautiful melange of fynbos, crushed granite, dried herbs and red currant spice. Plush, opulent and seductive, this is a very impressive wine with superb power, precision and balance.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Old Vine Series Soldaat Grenache 2020

Dense, bright, pure red fruited nose with delicious creamy depth, layers of red currant, strawberry and seductive red cherry fruit together with a complexing sapidity, tobacco leaf and a stony minerality. Beautiful harmony, seamless balance, and a long, pristine finish. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wines are available on strict allocation to the trade in the USA from Broadbent Selections and in the UK from FMV. Retail is circa £50 per bottle on release.

Eben Sadie Delivers a Columella and Palladius Masterclass in London in His First Visit for Several Years…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Earlier this year, Eben Sadie made his first trip to London in several years and with so any new projects and developments taking place in the world of Sadie Family Wines, a visit to explain all the exciting new developments was considered long overdue. With Eben producing the most sought-after selection of red and white wines in South Africa, every change he makes in the winery or in the vineyards is closely watched and examined.

Starting in the early 2000s, Eben started to strive to improve the freshness on all his whites and reds with the effects of climate change becoming more and more apparent vintage after vintage. Over the past years, Eben has planted a range of esoteric white and red grapes, many with their origin around the Mediterranean – Agiorgitiko, Mencia, Cinsault Blanc, Grillo, Assyrtiko, Picpoul de Pinet, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouchet, Cunoise, Mavrotragano, etc. all on specially chosen sites with suitable soil types that allow the grapes to express freshness, brightness and elegance.

Following a policy of only making large scale changes once every 10 years, Eben firmly believes that what needs to be learnt takes time even if the actions you took and the changes you made end up ultimately being unsuccessful. The wines tasted in this masterclass reflect the learning and changes that have occurred at Sadie Family Wines over the past 20 years. To complement this fascinating masterclass, I followed it up with a visit to the winery in October to see some of the new developments first hand.

Eben Sadie surveying the new wine cellar building works.

Walking through the newly acquired old vine Rotsbank Chenin Blanc vineyard.

Top of the “to do list” was visiting the Rotsbank Old Vine Chenin Blanc vineyard that Sadie Family Wines recently acquired. This vineyard previously supplied some Chenin Blanc for blending into the Palladius, but following the purchase, Eben will release his first new Old Vine Series wine in 13 years and also his first single varietal Swartland Old Vine Chenin Blanc with the 2022 vintage. Also on display, were the extensive building works which mark the building of a new winemaking facility and archive cellar on the farm. So plenty to look forward to!

Columella Vertical: 2004 to 2018

Sadie Family Wines Columella 2004, WO Swartland

A beautifully cool, precise year that is an exceptional vintage for the wine but with Eben giving most of the credit to vintage conditions – “they merely didn’t mess it up in the winery, preserving the greatness of the vintage”. Wonderfully pure and perfumed with potpourri, garrigue, bramble berry spice and cured meats. The tannins are polished and silky, precise and pin point with fabulous mineral layering supported by bright tangy, crunchy acids with just the most subtle, reductive, saline cassis nuance on the finish. A supremely classy, classical expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Columella 2007, WO Swartland

A warm, dry vintage that led to many vines shutting down and thus offering long hang times on paper but with out the corresponding ripening. So a difficult vintage known for its pyrazines, especially on the whites. The nose shows rich, plumy, earthy characters with cured meats, black olive, plum compote and hints of tannery leather. The tannins are sweet and plush, creamy and opulent with a fine line of acidity wrapped in voluptuous layers of sweet red and black berry fruits. An impressive offering for the vintage and drinking beautifully at the moment.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Columella 2010, WO Swartland

Semi-warm vintage, less warm and dry than 2007. The aromatics are earthy and savoury with plenty of tannery leather, tilled earthy, stewed plums and spicy grilled herb notes. The palate shows a stony minerality together with a more restrained fruit depth, spicy graphite, bramble berry and pithy black currant. Tannins are soft and quite polished, finishing with a subtlety and elegance. A fascinating, mineral driven expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Pre-Masterclass interview with Jancis Robinson OBE MW.

Sadie Family Wines Columella 2018, WO Swartland

The end of the drought vintages, this shows an incredibly old world, Rhone style aromatics with savoury black fruits, garrigue, grilled herbs, black currant, black cherry, raspberry compote, and a meaty, chargrilled component. The palate shows a delicious crunchy, raspberry fruited vibrancy with hints of red bramble berries, wild strawberry and red cherries combined with a beautifully precise fresh acidity, impressive fine grained tannins and a wonderfully elegant, harmonious, poised finish. Very classy indeed.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Palladius Vertical: 2007 to 2019

Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2007, WO Swartland

Dry and hot vintage, the aromatics show a defined, honied yellow fruited oxidative complexity with layers of grapefruit jam, melted honey on buttered white toast. Massive glycerol texture with oxy fig and caramelised peach nuances, tangy acids and a deliciously exotic, saline, tropical finish. Offers a lot of wine and leaves it out there for all to see, leaving little to the imagination.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2010, WO Swartland

Warm vintage again, the 2010 shows almost like a white Tondonia from Rioja with oxy yellow peach and condensed milk notes, tart tatin, and caramelised apples. The texture is creamy and dense, plush and opulent wth peach stone fruit, bruised yellow orchard fruits and a lactic, oaky, vanilla pod finish. But it’s ever so funky, luscious and delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2016, WO Swartland

The second very hot and dry vintage for the Cape, yet miraculously, many of the Chenin Blanc based blends defied the conditions to produced superb wines. A lot earthier and honied showing savoury characteristics with a much more aromatic, phenolic expression. But fabulously glycerol and balanced, seamless and focused with finely intertwined acids. Really delicious now. A triumphant wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2019, WO Swartland

The vineyards and blend reach a nice equilibrium in this vintage. The aromatics are pure and pinpoint with a pronounced pithy, mineral, crushed granite dust on the nose, intertwined with pithy yellow orchard fruits. The texture boasts great intensity along with harmonious balance and an ever present power. Hints of peach pastille and green apple cordial carry the full, textural palate weight effortlessly to a long and incredibly harmonious finish. Really impressive vinous architecture on display here.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

A Wine Of Rarity and Beauty ~ Tasting the Sadie Family Old Vine Series Kokerboom 2015…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Within the Sadie Old Vine Series range, the Kokerboom white is probably the most enigmatic and mysterious. But in an intense, near perfect vintage like 2015, this wine’s full potential is revealed in all its regal glory. The biggest challenge then becomes actually getting hold of some to drink!


Made from fruit sourced in the Trekpoort Kloof in the Olifants River Region, this old vine vineyard Semillon was planted in the 1930s on decomposed Table Mountain sandstone and includes a mix of both white and red-skinned versions of this grape once very common in the Cape winelands. A pristine old vineyard, no herbicides or artificial fertilizers have been used on it, and it has been perfectly pruned and cared for over the years. The downside is that it is a very small and low-yielding vineyard. 


The white and red Semillon (approximately a 70 / 30 split), ripen at the same time and are picked and pressed together. The juice is taken from the basket press in buckets to an old cask for natural fermentation, and spends around 18 months on its lees before being bottled from the cask unfined and unfiltered, yielding not much more than 150 cases of 6 per vintage. TA 6.4 g/l and RS 1.8 g/l with a 3.00 pH.


Sadie Family Old Vine Series Kokerboom 2015, WO Olifantsrivier, 14 Abv.

The aromatics grow in the glass showing intense lime, white pepper, lemon herbs, lime peel, soap stone and grey slate. A really intriguing mineral melange of dusty stony complexity mixes with notes of boxwood, fynbos, and beechwood spice. The palate is full and expansive and ethereally complex. Flavours are still tightly wound, taught, and require a little coaxing to reveal a tart, briney, saline palate bite, complex citrus zest and deliciously fresh glassy acids and picante mineral cut. So many layers of lemon grass, tangerine peel, pithy green apple and sweet, freshly cut raw fennel develop. Texturally profound and so beautifully balanced, this wine teases the senses giving the drinker a fleeting glimpse of what’s still to come with further bottle age. World class and eye-opening, the Kokerboom 2015 is most certainly right up there with other sought after white icon wines from around the globe.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)