Sadie Family Skurfberg 2023
Type: White
Country: South Africa
Region: Swartland
Grape Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
Viticulture: Biodynamic | Certified Organic
Climate: Warm and dry summers, cool and damp winters
Terroir: The soil is sandy and consists mainly of sandstone formations
Winemaking: The grapes were harvested in small crates and then placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature, which often reaches 35 degrees at harvest time. Whole bunch pressing for about three hours before transferring to two tuns. Natural fermentation can last from 10 days to 6 months, sometimes not finishing until the following spring. Aged in barrel on the lees for 12 months. A small amount of sulphur was added 2 weeks before bottling
Color: Gold yellow
Nose: Great freshness on the nose with aromas of stone fruit – Granny Smith apple and guava
Palate: Lovely dense texture, the palate expresses minerality, power and depth. Tannins are soft and perfectly balanced with a good acidity
About the Winery:
Eben Sadie started his winemaking career working for Charles Back’s Spice Route-labelled wines before breaking out on his own in 1999. Since the first release of Columella with the 2000 vintage, he has acquired a reputation as the most innovative and inspired winemaker in South Africa.
His goal is to produce an expression of a region or specific site. This is the philosophy that drives the production of his Signature Series wines – Columella and Palladius. Columella (predominantly Syrah with a little Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault) is one of South Africa’s very best wines, if not the best, named after one of the wine trade’s earliest scribes. It is a blend of old-vine fruit from eight Swartland vineyards, spending 24 months in oak (with only a small proportion that is new) and is racked every six months. Eben’s white wine, Palladius, is arguably more impressive still; it is a delicious blend of 11 varieties from 17 different vineyard sites, with old, bush-vine Chenin Blanc playing the leading role.
The Signature Series was joined by the Old Vine Series (Die Ouwingerdreeks in Africaans) with its first commercial release in 2010. This range of wines is the fruition of a project very close to Eben’s heart. He worked with renowned viticulturist, Rosa Kruger, to seek out, revitalise, and in some cases, save old vineyards throughout the Cape. These highly sought-after wines are produced in very limited volumes and offer an incredible vinous insight into South Africa’s grape growing and winemaking history. These, and the Signature Series, are incredible wines from a winemaker at the top of his game.
It is hardly surprising that Sadie Family Wines has been awarded the title of the Platter Guide’s Winery of the Year twice (in 2010 and 2015).
