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 | 2024 Soldaat - Sadie Family Wines | € 64,44 (€ 77,97) |
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Grenache. VOLGENS EBEN SADIE This 2024 Soldaat displays the usual red cherry, unripe strawberry, and pomegranate fruit aromas. The wine is incredibly transparent and pure in aroma. This year, there are shades of rose petals and perfumes. The palate is marked by softer tannins than usual, which meet sweet, grippy, powdery tannins with a long finish. The entire wine is an exhibition of elegance. IN DE PERS 96 Tim Atkin – South Africa Report 2025 Erasmus van Zyl's farm in Piekenierskloof, located on quartz and sandstone soils, supplies the grapes for this ethereal old-vine Grenache, described by Eben Sadie as "transparent". Fermented with 30% whole clusters, it has aromas of fresh earth and Campari spices, flavours of pomegranate and red cherry, remarkable freshness and some underlying tannic grip. 92 Neal Martin – vinous.com (oktober 2025) The 2024 Soldaat is Sadies Grenache cuvée with slightly higher alcohol compared to previous vintages, fermented and aged in concrete. That comes across on the nose, which is more generous, a little higher-toned than the '23 Plush red cherries and cranberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a tart entry, red cherries, pomegranate and crushed strawberry with gentle grip on the finish. A lovely Soldaat that will give 12 to 15 years' drinking pleasure. Drink 2025-2038. Two major bits of news: firstly, Eben Sadie’s new winery is now up and running. The 2024 vintage is the first made in the new facility, which friend and neighbour Adi Badenhorst has dubbed the “church of Eben.” Indeed, there is a quasi-ecclesiastical vibe to the new buildings that would not look out of place in Bordeaux, planned down to the very last detail by Sadie himself. Clearly, he is relieved that after years of construction and all the stress that entails, the builders have finally left. Sadie can now enjoy what is incontrovertibly the most impressive winery in Swartland, replete with a gravity-fed system, a library of back vintages, a tasting room and a state-of-the-art kitchen so that his workers are properly fed. Secondly, two new cuvées have been added to the Old Vine Series portfolio. “Sonvang is a single vineyard of 12 varieties from our nursery, which is designed to improve massal selection,” Sadie told me as he began to list the varieties. “Alicante, Pontac, Trincadeira, Tinta Barroca, Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan, Pinotage, Counoise…. Each variety is planted in rows to examine for virus, and they are picked around eight days apart. This is the third vintage we have made but the first to be commercialised. It has the highest natural acid amongst my wines.” The other new introduction is Twiswind, a sibling to Sonvang inasmuch as it is a white field blend, including Assyrtiko, Clairette, Grillo, Sémillon and others. “The 2024 vintage is the first for which the new winery was fully up and running. The investment has made a big difference. During the season, it didn’t rain for seven-and-a-half months, which was very challenging at the end of ripening. Fortunately, we had 30% of the wind in 2024 that we had in 2021, so there was less evapotranspiration, and the heatwaves in February were not intense. All the reds in the OVS use 30% whole cluster.” (Sadie confessed that, looking back, he used too many stems between 2012 and 2015.) It is no news to anyone familiar with South African wine that Eben Sadie’s wines can be spellbinding. They are not for everyone, and the Old Vine Series in particular would not appeal to those seeking fruit-forward, ripe and immediately satisfying wines. They can be minimalist in style, based around texture and nuance, opening with time in the glass but never obvious. The new wines clearly deserve their places in such auspicious company, especially the 2024 Sonvang. Among the difficult-to-pronounce other labels (unless you are Dutch), this year I was taken by Chenin Blanc or Chenin blends such as the Skerpioen, Rotsbank and Mev. Kirsten. The 2023 Columella is outstanding. Fans of Sadie’s signature red cuvée should note that I will be undertaking a comprehensive vertical of this alongside mature bottles of OVS later this year. 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||