2024 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen
2024 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen

2024 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen

99 pts
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Palomino
A 90-year-old coastal field blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino that delivers intense salinity and sea spray.
Price:
$179.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

This is arguably the most distinct site in the portfolio. Named Skerpioen - or Scorpion - after the locals that inhabit the soil, this vineyard sits just two kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean near Elands Bay. It is a 90-year-old mix of Chenin Blanc and Palomino planted on chalky, sandy soils that look a lot like the famous albariza of Jerez. Eben jokes that if Mad Max had a vineyard, this would be it - it is wild, extremely dry and brutally exposed.

The 2024 release is shaping up to be a cracker. Despite being picked early, Eben notes that the wine came out much fuller than expected, calling it one of the best wines they have made from this site. The fruit is co-fermented spontaneously in old wooden casks, creating a wine that feels deeply savoury.

In the glass, it screams of its coastal home. You get intense aromas of sea spray and shucked oyster shell right off the bat. The Chenin brings notes of waxed lemon and saffron, while the Palomino drives a salty, almond-like finish. It is sappy, saline and distinctly marine. It is basically built for seafood - crack it open with some fresh oysters and you are set.

Tim Atkin MW

Tim Atkin MW

South Africa Special Report 2025 99 Points

Skerpioen comes from one of the Swartland's most unusual and beautiful sites, a 90-year-old vineyard on a combination of beach sand and bright-white limestone. Marrying equal parts Palomino and Chenin Blanc, the 2024 is slightly broader than usual, but retains its defining sea breeze freshness. Jasmine and wet stone lead you into a sappy, pure, very lightly wooded palate of saffron, waxed lemons and salted almonds. A stunning white that ages majestically too. 2026-38.

Neal Martin

Neal Martin

Vinous 96 Points

The 2024 Skerpioen is the Chenin Blanc Palomino blend on limestone soils next to the coast, this year's fruit picked early. "The wine was much fuller than I thought and one of the best wines we have made from the site," according to Sadie. The Chenin part speaks louder than the Palomino at the moment, sea spray and shucked oyster shells unfolding on the nose. The palate is fresh and vibrant, very saline in style, certainly very marine influenced with Palomino finally finding its voice on the finish. Superb.

Swartland. Named after the abundant native scorpions that make their home here, Skerpioen is an unirrigated 2.4-hectare, 90-year-old vineyard planted half to Palomino and half to Chenin Blanc. It’s just two kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean and overlooks Elands Bay. The soils are sandy and chalky, likened by Sadie to the white albariza of Andalucía. It’s fitting, then, that half the vines are Palomino. This is also one of the coolest parts of Swartland—cool but also extremely dry, with an average rainfall of only about 300mm per year. Eben quips that “if Mad Max had a vineyard, this would be it.” The dryness naturally restricts the yields (the average is only 26 hl/ha) and concentrates the fruit, magnifying the wine’s saline intensity.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Palomino
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Iconic
Cult
Reviewed By Tim Atkin MW
Vinous
Critic Score 99
96
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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