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Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder 2023

$186.00
Out of stock
Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder 2023
Producer Sadie Family Wines
Region, Country South Africa, South Africa
Bottle Size 750ml
Case Size 6
Product Code 24599-750

Swartland. In the 1920s, Cinsault was the most-planted black grape in South Africa. However, as one of the fickler varieties to work with and to vinify, it suffered a fall from grace post-WWII. It’s only very recently that (with growers such as Eben Sadie and Chris Alheit leading the charge) the ‘Pinot Noir of Swartland’ has been reborn, and the results are revelatory. This variety is now being planted more and more by top growers in the south of France. Wines like this show you why.

Pofadder is pure Cinsault, cropped from a 1973-planted parcel in Riebeeksrivier on the Kasteelberg Mountain (west of Malmesbury). The soils are slate and decomposed shale. Pofadder is Afrikaans for a puff adder, a type of snake in these parts that claimed the life of a vineyard worker in the 1940s. Sadie is a champion of old-vine Cinsault in the Cape, but even he concedes that this is the vineyard and the wine that need the most care. Controlling yields, bunch/berry sorting and protection from oxidation in the cellar are all vital. Roughly 30% whole bunches are placed in an old wooden, open-top fermenter, with one or two gentle foot-stomps each day to release just enough juice to keep the fermentation ticking over. After a month on skins, the grapes are transferred to a tiny basket press and pressed directly to 28-year-old conical wooden casks for aging. The wine is a gloriously textured yet vibrant ode to variety and region. In Eben’s mind, the 2023 is the most stylish example he has released.

Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder 2023

Reviews

“Eben Sadie sources this delightful Swartland Cinsault from the Anthonij Rupert farm in Riebeeksrivier, using grapes grown on schist. Fermented with 30% whole bunches in concrete and foudres, it’s a graceful, elegant, refined expression of Cinsault with potpourri and Turkish Delight aromas, lots of zip and energy, succulent red berry fruit and granular tannins.”
96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2024
“The 2023 Pofadder, 100% Cinsault planted in schist, has a floral bouquet: white flowers, rose petals, bright wild strawberry and cranberry, with a little more mineralité than the Soldaat. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit. It’s perhaps the most tensile of any Pofadder I’ve tasted, culminating in a linear finish with life-affirming frisson. There is an effortless brilliance about this Pofadder—even better than last year's offering.”
96 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
“The Sadie Family's 2023 Swartland Pofadder brings new perspective onto this grape. Cinsault can be "pretty," says Eben Sadie. However, this wine shows a greater sense of volume and heft. In the 1920s, this was a widely planted variety in South Africa, but it began to slip away with the rise of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. "It's like your brother in jail," says Eben Sadie. "You love it, but you can't talk about it." Today, Cinsault is a protagonist of the South African New Wave thanks to dedicated producers like Eben Sadie. He bottled Cinsault in 2009 and was the first to do so. Today, there are 40-plus producers specialized in the grape. The Pofadder opens to aromas of rose potpourri, iris, botanical garden and something that reminds me of a Turkish spice bazaar. The fruit comes from a very productive site on iron-rich and slate formations, and the trick is to keep yields under control. Not many expressions of the grape have this level of depth and texture."
95 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Reviews

“Eben Sadie sources this delightful Swartland Cinsault from the Anthonij Rupert farm in Riebeeksrivier, using grapes grown on schist. Fermented with 30% whole bunches in concrete and foudres, it’s a graceful, elegant, refined expression of Cinsault with potpourri and Turkish Delight aromas, lots of zip and energy, succulent red berry fruit and granular tannins.”
96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2024
“The 2023 Pofadder, 100% Cinsault planted in schist, has a floral bouquet: white flowers, rose petals, bright wild strawberry and cranberry, with a little more mineralité than the Soldaat. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit. It’s perhaps the most tensile of any Pofadder I’ve tasted, culminating in a linear finish with life-affirming frisson. There is an effortless brilliance about this Pofadder—even better than last year's offering.”
96 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
“The Sadie Family's 2023 Swartland Pofadder brings new perspective onto this grape. Cinsault can be "pretty," says Eben Sadie. However, this wine shows a greater sense of volume and heft. In the 1920s, this was a widely planted variety in South Africa, but it began to slip away with the rise of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. "It's like your brother in jail," says Eben Sadie. "You love it, but you can't talk about it." Today, Cinsault is a protagonist of the South African New Wave thanks to dedicated producers like Eben Sadie. He bottled Cinsault in 2009 and was the first to do so. Today, there are 40-plus producers specialized in the grape. The Pofadder opens to aromas of rose potpourri, iris, botanical garden and something that reminds me of a Turkish spice bazaar. The fruit comes from a very productive site on iron-rich and slate formations, and the trick is to keep yields under control. Not many expressions of the grape have this level of depth and texture."
95 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

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