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 | 2022 Palladius - Sadie Family Wines | € 102,64 (€ 124,19) |
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IN DE PERS 97 Neal Martin - vinous.com (September 2024) The 2022 Palladius is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Sémillon Blanc & Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombard, Clairette Blanche and Viognier from several sites. Eben Sadie says that this is the wine he has wanted to make. It has a delectable nose with wax resin, linseed oil and hinst of orange blossom. The palate is well balanced with a killer line of acidity. Taut, fresh and saline, it possesses immense nervosité on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is even better than the 2021. Drink 2026-2050. Last year, Eben Sadie walked me through his winery, which was basically just four walls and half a roof. Twelve months and a lot of sleepless nights later, the finishing touches are being applied. Wow, it’s impressive. Every last detail has been considered in terms of functionality, aesthetics and sustainability. In the upstairs tasting room, you find a fully-equipped kitchen that most restaurants can only dream about, though Sadie has no plans to open one. It’s for his workers. Indeed, he stressed the importance of hiring local skilled labor. Downstairs, I walked through the vat room that has a high-ceilinged, cathedral-like design. All that’s missing is a stained-glass window. In Bordeaux, this would not look out of place, but in Swartland, it is a statement that is a testament to everything Sadie has achieved. It is concurrent with a turning of the page as his two sons, Markus and Xander, take increasing roles in the estate’s running. The 2023s, the last to be vinified in the old cellar, were on show. I asked Sadie his views on the growing season. “We used to pick over two months, but we now pick over 4 to 5 weeks,” Sadie explained. “Everything got massively compressed, but the new cellar gives us a logistical advantage. The 2023 and 2024 vintages have been difficult because of that compression. We are struggling with an absence of proper spring. Our summers start late, and picking dates [for each of the vineyards around the Cape] are around the same time. So, there's three weeks less hang time that affects early ripening more than late-ripening grapes because the acid breaks down much quicker and can end up with 0.75% more alcohol unless you have no acid left. Potassium take-up in grapes is much greater, so since 2015, we have started de-stemming a lot more [since the stems hold potassium that reduces acidity]. Our major consideration is to be able to plant new varieties, and so we are interplanting around 15% of the area with varieties that have higher acid retention, such as Colombard, Petit Manseng and Grillo.” There is no point in analyzing every wine, as my euphoric tasting notes express how impressive his 2023 is. But I must mention the second vintage of his Chenin Blanc, the 2023 Rotsbank, which sent tingles down my spine with its nascent energy and complexity. Also, his white blend Palladius, the 2022 vintage, is the wine that Eben said he had always wanted to make and certainly the best that I have tasted. 98 Monica Larner - robertparker.com (Juni 2025) I am a white wine fanatic, and this very special wine blew me away. The Sadie Family's 2022 Swartland Palladius is a blend of 11 grapes from 17 distinct vineyard sites with old vines. The grapes used are Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Gris, Sémillon, Palomino and Colombard. The various vineyards are located in Paardeberg, Piketberg and Saint Helena Bay. "This is the most complex wine and difficult to make," says Eben Sadie. "A white wine needs to achieve more than a red." Made with blends and co-ferments, the Palladius presents challenges during harvest, as the fruit begins to come in at various stages and the tanks begin to fill. It sees 12 months in amphorae and concrete, plus 12 months in old foudre. It presents a spectacular collection of stone fruit aromas, lemon blossom, pastry cream filling, saffron and light spice. The Palladius is silky, textured and has enough structure for long cellar aging. This is indeed a star of the Southern Hemisphere. Drink 2026-2042. Founded in 1999 by Eben Sadie, The Sadie Family estate in the Swartland is celebrated across the world for its commitment to terroir-driven wines made with minimal intervention. Eben Sadie is a pioneer in organic and biodynamic farming across different soils, including granite, slate, alluvial and weathered sandstone. "The geological pull is what brought me here," says Eben Sadie, who works with 38 varieties (experimental and non) across 54 vineyard sites. I visited The Sadie Family twice last year. On my first visit in January, a large off-the-grid winery was under the last phase of construction. On my second visit in October, I saw the finished results. The two flagship wines are the red blend Columella and the white blend Palladius. The portfolio includes world-class expressions (with some of the best Chenin Blanc made anywhere) in the Old Vine Series. Eben Sadie does not care for trellised vines. "We need to scale away from the sun, not toward it," he says. The goblet system is the world's oldest training system, going back 7,000 or 8,000 years, he explains, and suddenly trellising was introduced a mere 140 years ago. Vertical shoot positioning (or VSP) attracts more solar radiation, he says. The Sadie Family is a Robert Parker Wine Advocate Green Emblem recipient (since 2021) for its commitment to sustainability and its environmental stewardship. The winemaking formula usually sees 35% whole-bunch fruit and 65% destemmed fruit. Aging is always in old foudre, with the youngest wood being eight years old. Fermentations are executed with extreme care. "We used to make wine like coffee, now we make it like tea," says Eben Sadie. EBEN SADIE The 2022 starts by almost playing hide-and-seek; the wine is more reserved and holding back. And only after warming up and a couple of minutes in the glass does the conversation start. The aromas are that of green apple and citrus flint, and then some of the stone fruit aromas begin to shine through. The wine needs time. The palate is already balanced, and the acidity is met by very firm tannins. The aftertaste is lingering. This bottling is a great vintage to follow the 2021. It is a strong contender for the most restrained version, but we must taste 2021 and 2022 with some age to have a final verdict. As always, it is suggested to age this wine for a minimum of 4 - 6 years. VINIFICATION | The grapes are picked across a great many vineyards and taken into our cold room on arrival at the cellar. The next day the grapes are sorted and the whole bunches go into the press. The pressing lasts 2 - 3 hours and in that period a margin of settling of the juice takes place in the collecting tank. The turbid juice is then transferred to concrete eggs of 725 litres and 400 – 1200 litre clay amphoras for the next stage of natural fermentation. The fermentation temperatures in the clay amphorae and the concrete eggs are very constant and we only control the ambient temperature at around 18 degrees throughout the season. Each wine basically ferments in its own time – in some cases it may take up to 18 months - and every vineyard is fermented in the same vessel every year. AGEING | The Palladius matures in these vessels for 12 months and is then racked off into big old foudres for an additional 12 months ageing prior to bottling.After two years the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. NOTES | Over the past 5 years Palladius has been the wine that grew the most in quality and refinement and much of this has to do with the addition of more vineyards and the improvement of their viticulture. Currently of all our wines, the Palladius, with 17 vineyards, obviously represents the biggest canvas of the Swartland. Paardeberg (14ha), Piketberg (1 vineyard), St Helena Bay (2 vineyards) Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Gris, Semillon Blanc & Palomino, Colombard Ageing: 12 months amphora & concrete, 12 months old foudre Soils: Decomposed Granite, Decomposed Table Mountain Sandstone formations & Chalk Soils 29hl/ha / 13,5%vol / 2,1g/l / pH 3,3 / TA 6,1 g/l / Total Sulphur 85mg/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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||