2023 Berry Bros. & Rudd Swartland White by The Sadie Family Wines, South Africa
Critics reviews
Berry Bros joined forces with stellar South African winemaker Eben Sadie last year to produce its own-label Swartland red and white. This second white vintage is astonishing value for money. A complex blend of 13 varieties—including Chenin Blanc, Palomino, Assyrtiko, Roussanne, and Grillo—it delivers a terrific presence on the textured palate. Elegant and layered with notes of chamomile, fresh apple, stone fruit, and lemon pith, all underpinned by a stony minerality with such purity and energy, it is a complete show-stopper of a wine.
Drink 2024 - 2027
Julie Sheppard, Decanter.com (October 2024)
I bought the very first vintage of Eben Sadie’s Columella (the 2000) from UK wine supremos Richards Walford, and we made a lot of fuss about this era-changing South African red wine on the wine list at Bibendum Restaurant. This led to a meeting with its creator, and it gave me a stunning insight into Eben’s mercurial mind. This was truly privileged access to a period that many believe set the scene for the top-end of the modern South African wine industry. The similarities between Aimé Guibert and Eben Sadie are countless, as are the differences, but either way, they have both had a profound impact on my palate and the second I tasted this incredible white blend an overwhelming sense of nostalgia coupled with wonderful, twenty-year-old flashbacks starting fireworks in my brain.
Made from a ridiculously complex blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Palomino, Vermentino, Assyrtiko, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grillo, Cinsault Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Piquepoul Blanc and Colombard, in the absence of Mas de Daumas white, this wine is the filmic negative of my star red wine, and yes, it is also brain-busting value for money! My tasting note reads, ‘Elite St-Joseph Blanc careens into an old vine-soaked Cape white blend, resulting in a mesmerising amalgam of honeysuckle, stone fruit, invigorating pith and zesty bitterness.’ And that is not even the half of it. This is another unmissable wine.
Drink 2024 - 2027
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com (October 2024)
About this WINE
The Sadie Family Wines
Eben Sadie started his winemaking career working for Charles Back’s Spice Route-labelled wines before breaking out on his own in 1999. Since the first release of Columella with the 2000 vintage, he has acquired a reputation as the most innovative and inspired winemaker in South Africa.
His goal is to produce an expression of a region or specific site. This is the philosophy that drives the production of his Signature Series wines – Columella and Palladius. Columella (predominantly Syrah with a little Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault) is one of South Africa’s very best wines, if not the best, named after one of the wine trade’s earliest scribes. It is a blend of old-vine fruit from eight Swartland vineyards, spending 24 months in oak (with only a small proportion that is new) and is racked every six months. Eben’s white wine, Palladius, is arguably more impressive still; it is a delicious blend of 11 varieties from 17 different vineyard sites, with old, bush-vine Chenin Blanc playing the leading role.
The Signature Series was joined by the Old Vine Series (Die Ouwingerdreeks in Africaans) with its first commercial release in 2010. This range of wines is the fruition of a project very close to Eben’s heart. He worked with renowned viticulturalist, Rosa Kruger, to seek out, revitalise, and in some cases, save old vineyards throughout the Cape. These highly sought-after wines are produced in very limited volumes and offer an incredible vinous insight into South Africa’s grape growing and winemaking history. These, and the Signature Series, are incredible wines from a winemaker at the top of his game.
It is hardly surprising that Sadie Family Wines has been awarded the title of the Platter Guide’s Winery of the Year twice (in 2010 and 2015).
Swartland
After Stellenbosch, the west coast district of Swartland (25 miles due north of Cape Town, between the towns of Malmesbury and Piketberg) now ranks as the Cape's most exciting wine-producing district.
Settled initially by nomadic Khoikhoi from Namibia, the Dutch brought trade and vines to the region in the 17th century. Viticulture was developed only more recently.This contrasts with an ancient geology which has brought a mix of shale, arenite sandstone and granite soils air-conditioned by the Atlantic Ocean nearby.
Chenin Blanc and Shiraz seem to do best, as exemplified by the wines of Eben Sadie and Mullineux.
Other Varieties
There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Cellar Plan members can enjoy a 10% saving on this wine, with the discount automatically applied at checkout.
A must try white. This vintage is astonishing value. 94/100
Julie Sheppard, Decanter (October 2024)
We’re thrilled to work with the legendary Eben Sadie for our Swartland White, 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 signature wines. But he is working exclusively with us on our Swartland Red and Swartland White.
Tasting note
2023 is the second vintage of our Swartland White. It has a beautiful nose of delicate lemon and chamomile flowers, yellow apples, and an edge of tart white peach. The texture on the palate is gorgeous, and the wine feels layered with flavours of fleshy yellow apple, which are enhanced by a river-stone purity. All is completed by a long, pure, yellow-plum-stone finish.
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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