2024 Sadie Family Stellenbosch Mev. Kirsten
2024 Sadie Family Stellenbosch Mev. Kirsten

2024 Sadie Family Stellenbosch Mev. Kirsten

98 pts
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Chenin Blanc
Crafted from South Africa's oldest Chenin Blanc vines, this is a powerful, structured white that balances immense density with a razor-sharp, mineral finish.
Price:
$399.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 5 units left
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Description

This wine comes from the oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa, a tiny one-hectare block in Stellenbosch’s Jonkershoek Valley where the vines have been standing since 1905. Eben Sadie has been tending this site since 2006, doing the hard yards to preserve these ancient gnarly trunks while carefully interplanting to keep the legacy alive.

The winemaking here is about staying out of the way. Fermented naturally in old foudres with plenty of solids, it spent a year on fine lees before being bottled unfiltered. The 2024 release is shaping up to be a textbook vintage for this site. It has that signature weight and density - think quince, waxed lemon and a touch of lanolin - but the acidity is fresher and sharper this year. It feels laser-focused and incredibly taut.

This is Eben’s most powerful white wine, and honestly, it’s a beast that needs time to sleep. He suggests giving it a decade to fully unravel, but if you are drinking it young, a long decant is non-negotiable to let those layers breathe.

98 points
"A beautiful expression of an historic parcel."
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Special Report 2025)

Neal Martin

Neal Martin

Vinous 97 Points

The 2024 Mev. Kirsten comes from the oldest Chenin in the Cape, originally planted in 1905 and then every other row was pulled out in 1946. Factoid: it was the first vineyard in South Africa ploughed by tractor. It has a fragrant bouquet with sea spray, light lanolin and crushed chalky scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with a wonderful texture, perfectly balanced, laser-like focus, with a deft hint of lemongrass on the prolonged finish. Brilliant.”

Tim Atkin MW

Tim Atkin MW

South Africa Special Report 2025 98 Points

The Mrs Kirsten block sits at the entrance to the Jonkershoek Valley and is generally the last picked of Eben Sadie's white wine vineyards. Rich, dense and powerful, the resulting wine has plenty of weight and extract, some appealing skin tannins, pear, quince and waxed lemon flavours and underlying minerality. A beautiful expression of an historic parcel. 2027-35.

Stellenbosch. Sadie has been working with Chenin off this “truly incredible” granite vineyard since 2006. It sits at 220 metres on the foot of Bothmaskop Mountain in Stellenbosch’s Jonkershoek Valley. With most of the vines planted between 1905 and 1920, the mere one hectare (belonging to Mrs Kirsten and her family) is the oldest Chenin Blanc in South Africa. Due to the age of the vines, Sadie has been interplanting mass-selection cuttings to prolong the vineyard’s life, though the younger vines are vinified separately. In time, the younger fraction will also be included in the blend.

Eben describes this hyper-rare wine as his most powerful and structured Chenin Blanc, juxtaposing silky elegance with immense texture, density and power. It fermented in an old foudres with lots of solids and was bottled unfiltered after 12 months of aging. According to its maker, “the acidity in this 2024 vintage is fresher than usual, and it is an absolute textbook vintage for this vineyard,” and Eben urges drinkers to give this wine the benefit of time in the bottle, noting it needs a decade to reveal its full potential. If you can’t wait, a decanter will help! In a word: epic.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chenin Blanc
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Iconic
Cult
Reviewed By Tim Atkin MW
Vinous
Critic Score 98
97
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
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

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