Last month, we received the wines from South Africa’s The Sadie Family.
And we’re more than happy about it!
As you know, Sadie’s South African wines hold a special place in our range. Eben Sadie, the head of the family behind the estate, decided to work with us around six years ago, when he still had one foot in Spain. More specifically, in Priorat. Until a few years ago, he was
Dominik Huber’s partner at Terroir al Límit, one of our very best Priorat estates. He decided, however, to return to his roots in South Africa’s Swartland. In no time, his wines became
South Africa’s cult wines.
In today’s newsletter, I’m taking you through the white wines. Last Friday, I discussed
Columella 2024, crowned South Africa’s best red wine with a score of
100/100!
And you’re in luck. Because of the difficult trading conditions in many other countries, we were offered a record allocation for Belgium this year. And we accepted it! 😊
I opened a few bottles over the past week, and they’ve made me even happier with that decision.
Most of our customers bought en primeur, without having had the chance to taste the wines. This year, we still have most of the wines available, a real luxury when it comes to Sadie.
But take note: for some wines, only around 30 bottles remain; for others, around 60. So large orders are not possible.
Maximum 6 bottles per wine per customer!
If you’ve never tasted them, believe me: his white wines are a must for your cellar! Every collector should have a few bottles! These are among the very best white wines made anywhere in the world (no joke!).
Year after year, Tim Atkin and R. Parker rank them among South Africa’s finest. Eben Sadie is also the winemaker with the greatest influence on the younger generation of South African winemakers.
Which wines are still available?
The estate has
2 “Signature” wines:
Palladius in white and
Columella in red.
With these wines, the family aims to express the character of Swartland in both white and red.
These are their flagship wines. Their big names.
The white “Signature” wine is Palladius.
For Eben, Palladius 2024 brings together everything he has been working towards for eight years. He has spent years improving and shaping this wine into his dream white. And with every vintage, he gets closer. Palladius 2024 is a superb wine to enjoy over the next 20 years!
Here’s what he says about it himself:
“This 2024 vintage again displays very fresh lemon-zest and nectarine characteristics, with some suppressed grapefruit aromas, all coated in salinity. The wine is restrained and elegant throughout, yet it holds massive weight and length. Steal if you need to, but get to taste this wine, it speaks volume of the Swartland and its magnificence.”
Here’s what Tim Atkin MW had to say in his recently published South Africa report, covering the finest wines from the latest vintages.
98/100
Sadie Family Palladius 2024, Swartland (13,5%)
"Palladius gets better and more complex with every passing vintage, thanks to the addition of new components and an ongoing refinement of the style. Now at 11 varieties from 17 vineyards, built around a core of Chenin Blanc, it’s pithier and more focused than most of its predecessors with engaging flavours of lemongrass, greengage and pink grapefruit and a hint of orange zest. The oak is just a whisper here, allowing the grapes to sing."