Gericht zoeken
 | 2022 Skurfberg - Sadie Family Wines | € 64,44 (€ 77,97) |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IN DE PERS 98 Neal Martin - vinous.com (Augustus 2023) The 2022 Skurfberg is pure Chenin Blanc from Citrusdal Moutains at 640m altitude, whole bunch pressed into old foudres. It has a pristine bouquet with yellow plum, crushed rock and a touch of lanolin, with hints of orange blossom coming through with time. The palate is lightly spiced on the entry with touches of stem ginger and a perfect line of acidity, gently building in the mouth towards an entrancing livewire finish that lingers long in the mouth. Thrilling. Drink 2025-2050. No trip to the Cape would be complete without visiting Eben Sadie in Swartland. Before we tasted his 2022s, Sadie gave me a tour of his impressive new winery under construction. One thing that he or his sons, who are taking an increasing active role in the running, will be short of in the future is space. « The 2022 was a difficult vintage on paper, » Sadie explains. « All the rain fell to the South of Swartland, and so we had a hangover of drought. We didn’t have a good winter. Just after flowering, after fruit set, we reduced our crop by half, taking it down one bunch per shoot, and we thinned tje shoots right down to maintain a conservative canopy management. It’s one of the benefits of having a fixed team of 26 people. Also, we have had the lowest alcohol levels ever, bringing in the fruit below 13,5% potential alcohol. I’m fascinated by the 2022’s because they are way better than Thought they would be. It’s a radical and expensive vintage for us because we bottled very little. It’s been a revelation. It will be interesting to see if we can have the same levels of alcohol in a wetter year. We’ll do some trials to see if it is possible. » This is a brilliant range of 2022s under his Old Vine Series umbrella that includes one new cuvée, a pure Chenin Blanc from Swartland named Rotsbank that Sadie told me he had waited 14 years make. The 2022 Skurfberg might well constitute the vinous highlight of my trip, consistently ranking among his best wines. Maybe just the Kokerboom left me wanting more. The 2021 Columella, his blend of Rhône varieties now around two decades old is wonderful, less powerful than older vintages yet imbued with greater finesse and articulating its site with greater clarity. EBEN SADIE This 2022 vintage of Skurfberg displays fruit aromas of granny smith apple, pear skin and lanolin. The viscosity of aromas and depth is incredible, and all of these fantastic aromas meet up with firm tannins and acidity that keep the wine in balance and under tension. The site also carries deeper mineral aspects often associated with Chenin Blanc and has been part of the expression of the Skurfberg vineyard from the outset. The wine is concentrated, but this is one of the lower alcohol versions to date, and it is incredible to think that all of these aspects could be met by almost a percentage lower alcohol than usual. The vintage was warm and extreme, and we had to pick slightly earlier than expected. Please give this wine the time in the bottle; it is good for the time... VINIFICATION | The grapes are picked in small 20kg picking crates and then placed in a cooling room to reduce the temperature.We consider this an essential step in the Swartland where temperatures are often 35 degrees 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 foudres 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. AGEING | The wine is left in cask on the fermentation lees for 12 months and we bottle from the lees.We add about 50ppm of sulphur 2 weeks prior to bottling and bottle directly from the cask. NOTES | The Skurfberg Mountain is part of the Citrusdal mountain area and the word Skurfberg (Rugged Mountain) mainly refers to the edgy and rough appearance of the mountain.The soil is mainly decomposedTable Mountain sandstone formations and tends to be very sandy. It is a truly great site for Chenin and it is most unusual that such a warm and dry area still produces wines with this enormous texture and freshness. Citrusdal Mountain / Chenin Blanc or Steen / 12 months in Big Old Oak Casks 23hl/ha / 13,08% / 1,9g/l / pH 3,42 / TA 6g/l / Total Sulphur 76mg/l Sadie Family WinesWinery of the Year - Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2015 SadieThe Swartland Independent Producers veranderen Zuid Afrika als wijnland. Hun pionier is één van de beste wijnmakers ter wereld (en een ervaren surfer) genaamd Eben Sadie. Hij wordt vereerd als National Treasure en gamechanger. Hij ontgint wonderlijke terroirs, herstelt verwaarloosde bushvines en leidt de avant-garde in doordachte wijnbouw en vinificatie. Zijn Columella en Palladius zijn de eerste Afrikaanse Grands Vins. Daarnaast biedt zijn iconische “Ouwingerdreeks” kleine loten eigenzinnige bewaarwijnen uit specifieke climats. Appreciëer deze boeiende en betekenisvolle wijnen zolang de voorraad strekt. 2017 Winemakers' Winemaker Award, Institute of Masters of Wine Jane Masters MW, chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine - Eben’s determined search to produce outstanding wines has put Swartland and South Africa on the map. I am delighted that the Master of Wine Winemakers have rewarded his dedication and talent – it’s truly well deserved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||