2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella
2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella
2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella

2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella

98 pts
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Shiraz
A benchmark regional blend that combines seven grape varieties and multiple soil types into a powerful, savoury Swartland red with incredible longevity.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review
Price:
$379.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

Columella has long been regarded as one of South Africa’s greatest reds, and this 2023 iteration only strengthens that reputation. With its tiny allocations, securing a bottle of this remarkable wine is an achievement in itself.

Columella is pretty much the wine that put the modern Swartland revolution on the map. While Eben Sadie’s single-vineyard releases get a lot of attention, this is his main game - a massive regional blend designed to capture the whole Swartland in a single glass.

The 2023 release pulls from eleven different vineyards across seven distinct soil types, including granite, slate and gravel. It is built on a core of Syrah (38%), but the rest is a complex mix of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Tinta Barocca, Cinsault and even a little Pinotage. Eben keeps the oak old and the handling gentle, aging it for a year in barrels and then another year in large foudres to let it settle.

The result is powerful but surprisingly light on its feet at just 13.5% alcohol. It isn't a fruit bomb; it is savoury and detailed. You get dark bramble fruit and black cherry, but it is the other layers that hook you - think dried herbs, sandalwood and a distinct 'Negroni spice' character. It feels sappy and vibrant rather than heavy. Ideally, give this eight years in the cellar, but if you must drink it now, use a decanter.

98 points
"One of the Cape's greatest reds."
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2025)

98 points
"Intense yet full of finesse and elegance, with firm and very fine-grained tannins. Long, continuous and delicious, with a beautiful interplay of fruit and spice. I love this wine."
- James Suckling

Tim Atkin MW

Tim Atkin MW

South Africa Special Report 2025 98 Points

The latest in a run of stellar Columella releases, this is now a seven-variety blend led by 38% Syrah and complemented by half a dozen Iberian and southern Rhône grapes. Expressing "all the oils of the Swartland", it has subtle 30% whole clusters, aromas of garrigue, oregano and Negroni spices, fine-grained tannins, haunting minerality and a core of bramble, redcurrant and black cherry. One of the Cape's greatest reds. 2027-38.

James Suckling

James Suckling

James Suckling 98 Points

Black cherries, fresh plums, sandalwood, peach pits, sage and cloves on the nose of this deliciously polished and complex red. It’s medium- to full-bodied, intense yet full of finesse and elegance, with firm and very fine-grained tannins. Long, continuous and delicious, with a beautiful interplay of fruit and spice. I love this wine. Syrah, mourvedre, grenache, carignan, cinsault, tinta barocca and pinotage. Drinkable already but better after a couple of years.

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 1 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • DF
    David F.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    3 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2020 Sadie Family Swartland Columella
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    High End South African Red Blend

    Interesting blend of Mourvèdre,Syrah,Grenache,Carignan and Cinsault.Real red cherry fruit with amazing red colour.Big nose!

    Was this helpful?

Swartland. First released in 2000, Columella is Sadie’s most famous wine. While it’s regularly described as an icon of Swartland (and indeed South Africa), Eben Sadie’s goal is simply to produce the finest, most honest expression he can from Swartland as a whole. As such, the blend includes six of the seven official red grapes that grow in the region. The 2023 is 38% Syrah, with the remainder a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Tinta Barocca, Cinsault and a little Pinotage. Eben notes that the incremental growth of Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault and Tinta Barocca in the final blend has contributed to the depth and complexity of tannins, and that it displays more fruit purity.

Eben also wants to capture as many Swartland soils and climates as possible. This year, the grapes came from seven soil types (including granite, slate, gravel and sandstone) across 11 separate vineyards in Paardeberg, Kasteelberg, Malmesbury and Piquetberg. Most are low-yielding, old-vine parcels, although some of the Estate’s younger material also play a part. Many of the Syrah vines have been trained to their stake (échalas style, per Northern Rhône).

Most of the fruit was destemmed, although an increasing percentage of bunches are used each year. Sadie has a sorting team of 25 who discard 8 to 15% of the fruit each year. The grapes went into a huge open fermenter for an average of three weeks on skins before being basket-pressed into primarily old French oak barrels (less than 10% new). After a year on lees, the wine was racked into seasoned oval casks (foudres) for further maturation on the fine lees. The wine was then bottled without fining or filtration.

Columella is a more powerful, complex wine than those in the District Series, with unforced intensity and a corresponding increase in texture and ripeness. We recommend decanting, and Sadie suggests a minimum of eight years in the cellar before opening. Good luck with that! Bottled with just 13.5% alcohol, it has the finesse, sappiness and vibrancy of great Burgundy (from a powerful year) and the depth and structure to live for decades. According to its maker, the 2023 is textbook Columella (with all this entails). More than ever, here we have one of the new world's greatest blended red wines.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Full Bodied
Variety Shiraz
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Iconic
Cult
Reviewed By Tim Atkin MW
James Suckling
Critic Score 98
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

Common Questions

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.

No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.

Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.

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.

 

Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.

Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.

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.

No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.

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.

Need a hand?

We’d love to help you out! Most questions can be sorted quickly through our Help Centre or by dropping us a line on chat or email. If it’s something urgent or you just really want to have a yarn about wine, food, or even the meaning of life, give us a call — we’re here for you.

Regular Enquiries

hello@differentdrop.com

Urgent Enquiries

02 8376 8775