南非

We’re delighted to work with the legendary Eben Sadie for our Swartland White, a brand-new wine in our Own Selection. Eben has been planting some wonderful new vineyards over the last 10 years. In the future, he’ll use the grapes from these young vines to produce his own signature wines. For now, though, he is working exclusively with us on our Swartland White and Swartland Red.

The precise blend will change from one vintage to another; our 2022 Swartland White is a blend of Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc. The nose is lively, with notes of yellow apple, white flowers and honey. The palate is gorgeous with tart white peach, fine minerality and a hint of tangerine. The finish is fresh and wonderfully pure.

Ready to drink now

Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (May 2023)

Splurge on the magnificent 2022 Berry Bros Swartland Red by the Sadie family. It’s a wonderfully seductive Syrah with layer after layer of fat, fleshy, spicy incense and bramble fruit.

Jane MacQuitty, The Times (February 2024)

We’re thrilled to work with the legendary Eben Sadie for our Swartland Red, a new addition to our Own Selection. Eben has planted some incredible new vineyards over the last decade. In the future, he’ll use the fruit of these young vines for his own signature wines. But for now, he is working exclusively with us on our Swartland Red and Swartland White.

The precise blend will change from one year to the next; our 2022 Swartland Red is made from 100% Syrah fruit. With pure, freshly picked raspberries on the nose, the palate has deep, fleshy, bramble fruits and gravelly minerality. A delicate umami note lingers on the invigorating finish.

Ready to drink now

Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (May 2023)

This 2017 Columella is the first of  Ehe drought years Eto be bottled and this very wine stands as evidence of the great stability to be achieved in a region with multiple varieties and vineyards planted in diverse sites. It shows that the greatest and most stable quality is to be achieved by a selection of vineyards rather than just one. The expression of a singular site has its place, but there is simply no better strategy than the combination of a bigger variety of terroirs to build up the most stable representation of our region. This wine is the result of 12 months ageing in barrels (8% new) and thereafter an additional 12 months in old, big oval casks. This 2017 vintage has incredible tension and density and is very much ‘locked in E The firmness of the wine suggests that it is a great keeper. It does exhibit amazing herbal, spicy and perfumed aromas and there is more than enough fruit  Ebut it is a highly-strung wine that needs time. The tannins are fine, powdery and almost silky with  lower acidity and more expanded palate than the 2014 and 2016. The wine is super-tight and will require at least 2 hours of decantation if opened prior to 5 years of age in the bottle. 

Review 27th April 2020 by Eben Sadie & Paul Jordaan:
Perplexing, in that there is almost no point of entry on the wine from an aromatic or taste aspect and the wine is still holding its cards to the chest. It does have some of the earthy aspects that were found in the early 2006 vintage. This wine is incredibly dry and restrained at this point but shouts of potential into the future. It will possibly develop into the same incredible complexities as was the case in the 2002 & 2004 vintage, but it needs the next 20 years to reveal itself.

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{***}

This medium to full bodied wine has aromas of bergamot, tobacco and dark fruits. The palate is structured, with firm, grainy tannins, spices and herbs, and fresh dark fruits. The finish is dry, layered and long. Best served at 16-18°C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling and will reward if cellared properly over the next few decades.

{***}{region}Western Cape{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] James Suckling:: 94/100
   [] Wine Advocate:: 92/100
   [] Neal Martin:: 92/100{ratings}{***}

It's entirely appropriate that Columella should achieve a 100-point score in its 20th vintage, having completed two decades of trail-blazing brilliance. Based on Syrah with 55% Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Tinta Barocca, it's a seamless Rhône-meets the-Douro cuvée with violet, thyme and lavender aromas, subtle oak and peppery whole bunch spices, cassis, blackberry and cranberry flavours, thrilling acidity, minerality and haunting palate length. A truly great wine at the peak of its considerable powers. 2023-35. E100/100 Tim Atkin MW

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{***}

“Like Soldaat, Pofadder was fermented with fewer whole bunches in 2020, giving the wine more fruit purity and focus. Beautifully framed and complete, it's an old-vine Cinsault that combines focus with depth. Black cherry, raspberry and sweet spice notes play out across the palate with a lovely stony undertone. 2022-30. E/span>
96/100. Tim Atkin MW

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Tim Atkin :: 96/100

{ratings}{***}

Overall Red Wine of the Year. “With 100 points, you can only go down," Eben Sadie laughed as we tasted this wine. The 2020 is just a whisper short of the perfection of the 2019 release, but it's still a stunning red and has beaten all comers in this year's report. A seamless blend that combines five soil types and 11 vineyards, it's Syrah-based with 60% Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Tinta Barocca, Carignan, Cinsault and Alicante Bouschet. What grace, texture, focus and persistence. This has fibre, sinew and muscularity, nuanced 10% new oak and plum, blackberry, damson and wild strawberry fruit. Sublime winemaking. 2024-40 E/span>

99/100 Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2022

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}

{ratings} [] Tim Atkin MW:: 99/100

{ratings}

{***}

“Accessible young, as it tends to be, but also capable of ageing well in bottle, this is a coastal, 50/50 blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino grown on highly unusual sand and limestone soils. Aromas of citrus and almonds lead into a palate that is engagingly fresh, briny and salty, finishing with a pithy tang. 2022-30.” 96/100. Tim Atkin MW

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}White{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Tim Atkin MW:: 96/100

{ratings}{***}

The 2021 Palladius displays early-picked stone fruit aromas with some citrus aromas in the background. Still, the minerality and salty qualities on the palate suggest that the wine will be slender for a while but will fill up over time in the bottle. Complex earthy aromas with lanolin layers make up the deeper aspects of aromatics. The palate of the wine is substantial, and the tannins and the acidity seem coiled up super tight. The current taste of the wine shows every intention of this vintage to be a longstanding wine with a bigplayer mentality. Tasting through the lineup this year, this wine is just a standout. As always, it is suggested to age this wine for a minimum of 4 - 6 years.

This 2021 vintage of Columella displays extremely bright red fruit aromas. The wine is incredibly fresh, and the 24 months of ageing in old casks are unmarked; it almost seems like the fruit is still hanging on the vine. Some velvety spicey herbal aromas of the bush come through on the aromatics, and then violets and perfumes followed. There are darker, deeper lines of graphite, black olive and cedarwood aromatics, and the structure of the wine is quite seamless; the tannins flow into the acidity at the end of the palate. It is incredibly balanced, and delicate layers of stitching make up this wine. Time is your friend on this one.

Eben has worked for ten years with these old bush vines of Tinta Barocca planted in 1974. He highlights that, “…it has most probably been the greatest red variety planted in the Swartland... It just transports terroir and the typicality of the site much more successfully than most other red varietals. E/span>
"We're doing an enormous amount of work in the vineyard to recuperate it," says Eben Sadie of his beloved Tinta Barocca, "and trying to extract less in the winery." Showing its classic grip and tannins, this has damson, liquorice and tar-like flavours and aromas, appealingly rustic tannins and the structure to age. Nebbiolo meets Syrah. 2023-32. E/span>
96/100. Tim Atkin MW

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Tim Atkin :: 96/100

{ratings}{***}

The 2021 Pofadder is pure Cinsault with 40% whole clusters, aged in oak foudres for 12 months. It has an open and expressive nose with wild strawberry and raspberry scents, light slatey aromas and touches of orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied and framed by finely chiselled tannins, beautifully poised, balletic even. Tender yet intense, you will not find a better Cinsault in South Africa. Drink 2022-2036

97/100 Neal Martin, Vinous, Aug 2022

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Vinous :: 97/100

{ratings}{***}

Now established as the preeminent Grenache in South Africa, Soldaat comes from just eight rows of 48-year-old vines belonging to Bielie and Erasmus van Zyl in Piekenierskloof. Graceful, silky and scented, with subtle 60% whole bunch spices, lots of energy and tension, pomegranate and redcurrant fruit and no wood at all. 2023-30

97/100 Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2022

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Tim Atkin :: 97/100

{ratings}{***}

The 2021 Treinspoor is Sadie's Tinta Barocca that the man himself likens to Nebbiolo, also opining that it is a wine that needs considerable ageing. These vines were planted in 1974, and the blend includes 40% whole clusters. It has a complex, succinctly defined bouquet with melted tar and graphite infused dark berry fruit, a hint of Lapsang Souchong. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly-tuned acidity, almost Burgundian in texture yet with more pepperiness towards the finish. So elegant and harmonious - this is stunning from every angle you look at it. Drink 2023-2045

96/100 Neal Martin, Vinous, Aug 2022

{***}
{region}Swartland{region}
{color}Red{color}                            {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2021{vintage}
{ratings}
   [] Vinous :: 96/100

{ratings}{***}

 This 2022 ‘T Voetpad is incredibly expressive, and the usual waxy and lanolin aromatics are to be found, but the cordial limey aromatics, dried straw bales, and a dash of melon are concentrated aspects. The palate has a lingering aftertaste, is incredibly restrained, and the wine is light on its feet. The tannins are restrained, and the acidity is very soft on the f inish. It is one of this vineyard’s most elegant and refined versions. We also had to pick slightly earlier due to the looming heat waves. The wine is just a Mindbender this year.

The 2022 Pofadder displays delicate red fruit of great purity and linear qualities; there are soft oriental spices and earthy aromas on the outer edges suggesting greater complexity in the future. The same fruit and deeper earthy aspects carry through to the mouthfeel and taste, which is a more serious style of Cinsaut. As with many 2022 wines, the tannins are also remarkably smooth with softer acidity.

The 2022 Mev. Kirsten displays tropical fruit aromas that migrate more to fresh apricot and ripe peaches and pears, so generally, stone fruit aromatics. Firm tannins and a grippy acidity uphold these slightly riper and larger fruit aromas. The wine’s structure and the fruit’s volume are incredibly concentrated without being sweet in any way or form. It is truly an incredible vineyard. Decantation helps but can never replace the actual effect of time.

The 2022 Skerpioen enters the aromatics with volumes of fruit and limey, citrus and chamomile flowers. This wine’s distinctive saline qualities, salty taste, and minerality are again prominent. The salinity of this wine is a textbook aspect of the site and terroir of this vineyard. The tannins are firm, and the acidity is fresh, and we suggest rushing off to buy oysters! This wine is more assessable at an early stage than most of our other wines.

In many respects, this 2022 Kokerboom displays the typical waxy, lanolin, and almost wet wool characters often associated with Semillon. The most astounding aspect is that this vineyard had only 180mm of rain this year, and this drought and hydric stress forced us to pick the vineyard much earlier than ever before. Yet very few green flavours are present, and most aromatics are the classic Semillon flavours, with maybe a granadilla passionfruit aromatics being a new dimension. The tannins, acidity, overall texture and volume in the wine are incredible, and we are in awe of the power of this terroir. The compact tannins and acidity take this wine to infinity and beyond… We produced very little, so please share with friends.

This 2022 Soldaat has the characteristic red cherry and bright pomegranate fruit aromas that carry through into deeper earthy flavours. This year the colour is slightly darker but still bright red, and the tannins are softer than usual. The fruit is overall quite expressive, and the softer mouthfeel of the tannins suggests that this vintage was quite fully ripe at 13% alcohol. It will be hard not to drink it, but the wine gains massive complexity with time in the bottle.

The 2022 Treinspoor is textbook in its display of darker blueberry, spicey and herbal aromas with graphite aromas. The tannins are present in volumes, but as is the case throughout the 2022 wines, they are incredibly smooth and rounded. The purity in this wine and the focused fruit purity make for a very serious wine with many layers and textures. Please afford this wine time, for it comes with ownership.

This violet-perfumed Syrah is the most elegant of our single-terroir Syrahs. The palate is medium to full bodied and delicately spicy, with a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. There are notes of black pepper, violets and lilies, red berries and herbs. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.