2023 Sadie Family Citrusdal Mountain Skurfberg
2023 Sadie Family Citrusdal Mountain Skurfberg

2023 Sadie Family Citrusdal Mountain Skurfberg

Highly Rated
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Chenin Blanc
A rare and iconic Chenin Blanc from 90-year-old bush vines in Citrusdal Mountain, showcasing unparalleled purity, textural depth, and the timeless quality of South Africa’s greatest vineyards.
Price:
$165.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 2 units left
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

The 2023 Skurfberg is a shining example of Eben Sadie’s ability to turn an exceptional vineyard site into one of South Africa’s most iconic wines. Crafted from 90-year-old Chenin Blanc vines in the remote Citrusdal Mountain District, this is a wine that marries history, terroir, and meticulous winemaking to stunning effect. Rare and highly sought after, it is a benchmark for South African whites.

The fruit is sourced from ungrafted, dry-farmed bush vines planted between 1940 and 1955 on the decomposed red sandstone slopes of the Skurfberg, or “rugged mountain.” These vines are farmed without herbicides or chemical fertilisers, maintaining the purity of the site. The grapes are basket-pressed as whole bunches, spontaneously fermented in old casks, and aged for 12 months on lees before blending. This natural approach amplifies the wine’s textural depth and mineral complexity.

The 2023 vintage reveals layers of citrus zest, peach skin, and earthy undertones, carried by a taut acidity and a vibrant mineral core. Its energy and precision are beautifully balanced by a supple texture, making for a wine of immense character and elegance.

This is a true collector’s piece—an enduring tribute to both its singular site and the late Basie van Lill, the legendary grower behind these extraordinary vines.

96 points
"Density and depth to this full-bodied chenin blanc. It’s savory and zesty, showing notes of lime peel, sliced pears, fenugreek, beeswax and chamomile. Bright, yet compact and dense. Chenin blanc from the Skurfberg Mountain in the Citrusdal mountain area, planted on decomposed Table Mountain sandstone soils. Try from 2025."
- Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

96 points
"A tribute to the legendary grower Basie van Lill... pale, floral and forward for this terroir, with passion fruit, peach, and lemon zest complemented by the minerality of Citrusdal Mountain."
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

95 points
"A supremely gifted Skurfberg... taut and fresh, with a lime-driven entry and brimming energy from start to finish."
- Neal Martin (Vinous)

96 points - "Density and depth to this full-bodied chenin blanc. It’s savory and zesty, showing notes of lime peel, sliced pears, fenugreek, beeswax and chamomile. Bright, yet compact and dense. Chenin blanc from the Skurfberg Mountain in the Citrusdal mountain area, planted on decomposed Table Mountain sandstone soils. Try from 2025." - Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

96 points - ""In memory of Basie," reads the label, which is a nice tribute to the legendary grower, Basie van Lill, from whose farm Eben Sadie sources Skurfberg. Using dry-farmed grapes from a 0.8-hectare parcel on red granite and iron soils, this is pale, floral and comparatively forward for a wine from this terroir, with passion fruit, peach and lemon zest flavours and the minerality that comes with the territory on Citrusdal Mountain." - Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

95 points - "The 2023 Skurfberg, pure Chenin on sandstone soils (which Sadie mentioned creates "earthy" whites), has a very intense nose. It’s oily and resinous with grapefruit and a touch of peach skin, very well defined but requiring time in the glass. Taut and fresh, the palate is quite lime-driven on the entry, brimming with energy from start to finish. It gently fans out toward the finish. This is a supremely gifted Skurfberg." - Neal Martin (Vinous)

Citrusdal Mountain. This extraordinary 100% Chenin Blanc hails from one of South Africa’s northernmost wine regions, the arid Citrusdal Mountain District, on the west bank of the Olifants River. Specifically, the fruit is drawn from the late Basie van Lill’s 90-year-old ungrafted bush vines at 640 metres on the decomposed, red sandstone slopes of the Skurfberg (which means ‘rigid mountain’). Planted between 1940 and 1955, these immaculately farmed vines have never been treated with herbicides or chemical fertilisers. “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,” says Eben.

Again, the Chenin is basket-pressed as bunches and transferred to old casks for spontaneous fermentation. Following 12 months on lees, the wine is blended and returned to the same casks before being bottled directly from foudre. The result is a tension-fuelled wine that can easily stand up to the greatest Chenins of the Loire—a wine of jaw-dropping texture, mineral energy and complexity. “The [2023’s] viscosity and volume, combined with the cutting acidity, suggest that this vintage has the mechanics to age incredibly well, like Kokerboom,” says Eben.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chenin Blanc
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Reviewed By James Suckling
Critic Score 96
95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Cork

Sadie Family Wines

One of the tearaway producers of the revitalised Swartland wine scene, Sadie Family Wines has had an astronomical rise to fame on the international stage.

Owner and winemaker, Eben Sadie, first found acclaim under the banner of Terroir Al Limit where he was a co-founder alongside Dominik Huber. In the same way that Terroir Al Limit helped redefine what wine could taste like from Priorat in Spain, Sadie handles his family wines and vines with that same ruthless attention to detail.

These wines perfectly articulate a sense of place. Sadie's transparency in winemaking and obsessive farming practices reveal intense, tightly-wound wines with distinct personality. These are now some of South Africa's most keenly sought-after artisan wines. Worldwide allocations are minuscule and hotly contested. As little as a handful of bottles make it to Australia each year. Secure these rare birds while you can.

Eben Sadie in the vineyard Sadie Family Wines

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Shipping

Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you. 

Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.

Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.

Ordering

We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.

Some things to keep in mind: 

  • Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
  • The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
  • We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
  • We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
  • It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.  
  • It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.

We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.

At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Just want to talk to someone?

Please don't ever hesitate - we would love to help! Whether it's a problem we can fix, a wine you're not 100% sure on or if you simply want to talk about wine, food and the meaning of life, we are here for you.

Call Us

02 8376 8775

Send a message

hello@differentdrop.com