2023 Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder
2023 Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder

2023 Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder

Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Cinsault
An elegant old-vine Cinsault from Swartland’s schist soils, crafted with precision by Eben Sadie to showcase the variety’s vibrancy and the region’s rich heritage.
Price:
$165.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 3 units left
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Description

The 2023 Pofadder is a stunning expression of old-vine Cinsault, showcasing Eben Sadie’s mastery of Swartland’s unique terroir and his commitment to artisanal winemaking.

Sourced from a 1973-planted vineyard on the Kasteelberg Mountain, this wine comes from low-yielding vines rooted in schist and decomposed shale soils. Known for its challenging nature, this parcel demands the utmost care, from precise yield control to meticulous bunch and berry selection. The winemaking process includes 30% whole-bunch fermentation in old wooden open-top fermenters, followed by gentle foot-stomping and a month on skins. Aging takes place in 28-year-old conical wooden casks, allowing the wine to retain its purity and vibrancy.

Delicate yet full of energy, the 2023 Pofadder offers refined layers of wild red berries, floral notes, and a bright mineral core, all framed by fine, granular tannins. This vintage, considered by Sadie to be his most stylish release yet, captures the elegance and tension that make Cinsault such an exciting variety in Swartland.

A rare and highly sought-after wine, Pofadder epitomises Sadie Family’s dedication to reviving old vines and crafting wines that celebrate the region’s rich viticultural heritage.

96 points
"A graceful, elegant, refined expression of Cinsault with Turkish Delight aromas, vibrant energy, and succulent red berry fruit."
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

96 points
"Perhaps the most tensile Pofadder yet... floral bouquet, crunchy red fruit, and an effortlessly brilliant, linear finish."
- Neal Martin (Vinous)

95 points
"This has gorgeous aromatics, mesmerizing with rhubarb, licorice, redcurrant, citrus-rind, dried-rose and paprika aromas. It’s refined and elegant with medium body and fine-grained, crisp tannins providing bite. More savory characteristics come through on a long and taut finish."
- Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

96 points - "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." - Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

96 points - "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." - Neal Martin (Vinous)

95 points - "This has gorgeous aromatics, mesmerizing with rhubarb, licorice, redcurrant, citrus-rind, dried-rose and paprika aromas. It’s refined and elegant with medium body and fine-grained, crisp tannins providing bite. More savory characteristics come through on a long and taut finish. Cinsault from Riebeeksrivier in the Swartland, half destemmed and half whole-cluster fermented. Best after 2025." - Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

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.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Cinsault
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Reviewed By Vinous
Critic Score 96
95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
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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