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 | 2023 Mev. Kirsten - Sadie Family Wines | € 120,42 (€ 145,71) |
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IN DE PERS 96 Neal Martin - vinous.com (September 2024) The 2023 Mev Kirsten is perhaps the most closed of the three Chenins, unfolding with time to reveal scents of yellow fruit, oyster shell and a touch of lanolin. The palate has superb weight and density - the most fruit-driven Chenin, with an irresistible, slightly viscous texture counterbalanced by a keen thread of acidity. It's even a little petrolly on the finish. Fabulous from beginning to end. Drink 2026-2048. 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. EBEN SADIE 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 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. Decantation helps but can never replace the actual effect of time. VINIFICATION | We have been vinifying this vineyard since 2006 and during the last number of years we have invested much in improving it in terms of soil health and interplanting. An interesting fact is that the younger vines in this vineyard ripen about two weeks prior to the old vines, so we pick them first and they are still vinified separately. We do whole bunch pressing into old 500 litre casks for the young vines and into an old foudre for the old vines. In time the younger fraction will also be included in the final blend. Settling is for about 12 hours during the two pressings and the turbid juice is transferred the next morning. We allow for a slightly longer settling time for the Mev. Kirsten vineyard as the fermentation can be quite reduced if too many impurities enter into the fermentation stage. AGEING | The wine is left in casks and foudre on the fermentation lees for the entire first 12 months and we bottle from the lees. Two weeks prior to bottling we transfer the wine to a blending tank and add around 50 mg/litre of sulphur for protection during bottling. The wine normally settles to perfect clarity and can then be bottled unfiltered. NOTES | The vineyard is in very good standing currently and this year we will do the last interplanting of about 100 vines that we will root and re-graft next year. Over the past 15 years the wine has gained elegance carried by immense texture, density and power. Of all the singular sites we currently work with, this site is the only one that has the capacity to produce a wine of such volume and weight without any excessive notions. The texture and length of the wine just call everything to perfect discipline. We urge clients to give this wine the benefit of time in the bottle. Stellenbosch Jonkershoek Valley / Chenin Blanc or Steen / 12 months ageing foudre & amphora / Decomposed granite on an alluvial base. 25hl/ha / 14,15%vol / 2g/l / pH 3,48 / TA 5,5g/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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||