2022 Sadie Family Swartland Palladius
2022 Sadie Family Swartland Palladius

2022 Sadie Family Swartland Palladius

Highly Rated
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland
A benchmark Swartland white, this meticulously crafted blend of 11 varieties embodies Eben Sadie’s vision of capturing the region’s diverse terroir with unparalleled complexity and refinement.
Price:
$295.00
Stock:
Sold out
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Description

Palladius is the pinnacle of Swartland white wines, a masterful blend of all 11 official white varieties of the region, with old-vine Chenin Blanc as its cornerstone. Eben Sadie’s vision for this wine is to encapsulate the entire Swartland terroir in a single bottle, crafting a cuvée that is both complex and profoundly expressive.

The fruit is harvested from 17 meticulously farmed sites across Swartland, including rare old bush-vine plantings on decomposed granite and sandstone soils, some dating back to 1935. Each component is gently pressed and vinified in clay amphorae, concrete eggs, and large wooden foudre. The wine is then aged for 24 months without fining or filtration, allowing the intricate layers to fully integrate and reveal the soul of the region.

The 2022 Palladius showcases remarkable breadth and texture, with a finely tuned balance of phenolic freshness and deep, resonant complexity. It invites contemplation, revealing subtle nuances and layers with every sip.

This is a wine to savour slowly and to cellar with confidence. Eben has described Palladius as the wine that has advanced most in recent years, and the 2022 vintage continues to raise the bar for what Swartland whites can achieve.

97 points
"An impressively layered and complex white, blending 11 varietals from 17 vineyards across the Swartland. Aromas of jackfruit, sliced pear, green papaya, flint, grapefruit, and hazelnut lead to a full-bodied palate with a caressing, supple texture. Seamless, evolving to spices over time. Even better than 2021?"
- Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

97 points
"Eben Sadie says that this is the wine he has wanted to make... Taut, fresh and saline, it possesses immense nervosité on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is even better than the 2021."
- Neal Martin (Vinous)

97 points - "An impressively layered and complex white, blending 11 varietals from 17 vineyards across the Swartland. Aromas of jackfruit, sliced pear, green papaya, flint, grapefruit, and hazelnut lead to a full-bodied palate with a caressing, supple texture. Seamless, evolving to spices over time. Even better than 2021?" - Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

97 points - "The 2022 Palladius is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Sémillon Blanc & Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombard, Clairette Blanche and Viognier from several sites. Eben Sadie says that this is the wine he has wanted to make. It has a delectable nose with wax resin, linseed oil and hints of orange blossom. The palate is well balanced with a killer line of acidity. Taut, fresh and saline, it possesses immense nervosité on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is even better than the 2021." - Neal Martin (Vinous)

“The 2022 starts by almost playing hide-and-seek; the wine is more reserved and holding back. And only after warming up and a couple of minutes in the glass does the conversation start. The aromas are that of green apple and citrus flint, and then some of the stone fruit aromas begin to shine through. The wine needs time. The palate is already balanced, and the acidity is met by very firm tannins. The aftertaste is lingering. This bottling is a great vintage to follow the 2021. It is a strong contender for the most restrained version, but we must taste 2021 and 2022 with some age to have a final verdict.” Eben Sadie

Swartland. Palladius is a blend of all 11 of Swartland’s official white varieties, with old bush-vine Chenin Blanc playing the principal role. Like the Columella red, the idea is to produce a great white that represents the overall terroir of Swartland, so Sadie tries to use all permitted grapes. As a result, it is harvested from 17 sites, taking in Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Blanc, Palomino and Colombard, as well as the hyper-rare Semillon Gris (which plays a starring role in Sadie’s Kokerboom and ’T Voetpad cuvées). Scattered throughout Swartland, most of the vineyards are rooted in decomposed Paardeberg granite (although four parcels lie on sandstone), and most qualify for old-vine status (35 years plus), with the oldest planted in 1935. The younger-vine fruit comes from Sadie’s own plantings, though even here, the yields max out at 30 hl/ha.

The fruit was sorted and pressed in a traditional, vertical press directly into clay amphora and concrete egg (725 litres). The wine went to large wooden foudre for maturation. The entire aging cycle is 24 months. It was bottled without fining or filtration.

Throughout the season, Sadie’s primary goal is, in his own words, “to try and get the maximum volume of compact fruit and texture together with the best potential volume of acidity and freshness.” He has unquestionably achieved that here, with the extra breadth, power and texture setting Palladius apart from his District Series whites. Palladius relies less on acidity than those, harnessing a deep, phenolic freshness that frames the wine. Eben continues: “Over the past five years, Palladius has been the wine that gained the most in quality and refinement, and much of this has to do with the addition of more vineyards and the improvement of their viticulture.” It’s a white of vast complexity; the kind you can sit with for hours. The 2022 is exquisite; the notes below capture it so well.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Reviewed By James Suckling
Critic Score 97
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
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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