2023 Sadie Family Swartland Treinspoor
2023 Sadie Family Swartland Treinspoor

2023 Sadie Family Swartland Treinspoor

Highly Rated
Sadie Family Wines |Swartland |Tinta Barocca
A rare and masterfully crafted Tinta Barocca from 1974-planted bush vines, showcasing Eben Sadie’s precision winemaking and the unparalleled potential of Swartland’s terroir.
Price:
$165.00
Stock:
Sold out
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Description

The 2023 Treinspoor is an extraordinary showcase of Tinta Barocca, crafted by Eben Sadie, one of South Africa’s most revered winemakers. Produced in tiny quantities from a single 1974-planted vineyard near Malmesbury, this is a wine of exceptional quality and rarity.

The old bush vines, rooted in decomposed granite and sandstone, thrive under Sadie’s meticulous care. Their naturally low yields and the vineyard’s unique soils result in fruit of remarkable intensity and character. Fermentation is conducted in concrete with 50% whole bunches, followed by 11 months of ageing in large oak casks. This thoughtful approach preserves the purity of the fruit while enhancing the wine’s structure and complexity.

Treinspoor delivers layers of dark berry fruit, exotic spices, and floral aromatics, balanced by vibrant acidity and firm, chalky tannins. Often compared to the finesse of Nebbiolo and the savoury depth of Northern Rhône Syrah, it’s a wine of incredible precision and depth, with a long, age-worthy finish.

Highly sought after and produced in extremely limited numbers, Treinspoor is a must-have for collectors and a testament to the heights of South African winemaking.

95 points
"Outstanding and characterful... dark berry fruit with hints of Earl Grey and Nebbiolo-like finesse, leading to a Barolo-like grippy finish."
- Neal Martin (Vinous)

95 points
"Eben Sadie's most elegant expression of Tinta Barocca yet... built for the long haul with chewy tannins, ferrous undertones, and vibrant acidity to freshen the finish."
- Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

95 points
"Intense violet and dried-flower aromas here, combining with blue and black plum fruit, tea leaves, bark and nutmeg. It’s medium-bodied, very fresh and alive, with tight and firm yet almost indiscernible tannins that spread across the palate. Well-framed."
- Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

95 points - "The 2023 Treinspoor is pure Tinta Barocca planted on sandstone and granite/quartz. Dark berry fruit and hints of Earl Grey unfold on the nose that’s maybe just a bit Nebbiolo-like in style and very expressive. Brisk and bright, the palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins. It’s a little Barolo-like toward the grippy finish, leaving veins of blue fruit on the aftertaste. Outstanding and characterful." - Neal Martin (Vinous)

95 points - "Treinspoor is a pure Tinta Barocca from red clay soils close to Malmesbury. Eben Sadie reckons it's the "most elegant" expression of the vineyard yet, but this is still a wine that's built for the long haul, with classic damson, fig and cranberry flavours, chewy, stubble-chinned tannins, a ferrous, steak tartare undertone and enough acidity to drive and freshen the finish." - Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report 2024)

95 points - "Intense violet and dried-flower aromas here, combining with blue and black plum fruit, tea leaves, bark and nutmeg. It’s medium-bodied, very fresh and alive, with tight and firm yet almost indiscernible tannins that spread across the palate. Well-framed. Tinta barroca from old bush vines planted in Malmesbury in the Swartland, half destemmed and half whole-cluster fermented. Try from 2026." - Claire Nesbitt (James Suckling)

Swartland. “It’s a Swartland thing,” notes Sadie of Tinta Barocca (the South African spelling has only one ‘r’ and two ‘c’s). This variety arrived in South Africa from the Douro and has found an opportune home in the Western Cape. Historically, Tinta das Baroccas (as it was once labelled) has played a prominent role in Swartland’s red blends, and interest in the variety—particularly from old, dry-grown vineyards—has spiked in recent years.

This vineyard, planted in 1974 and located next to the old railway line (treinspoor), lies four kilometres west of Malmesbury on decomposed granite and sandstone. Sadie notes that while the very fragile, thin skin of Tinta Barocca is prone to sunburn, the old bush vines of this site keep the bunches sheltered from the intense Swartland sun. He likens his Treinspoor to a sort of stylistic cross between northern Rhône Syrah (black cherry/blackcurrant/grenadine fruit, iodine and nettles) and Piemontese Nebbiolo (spice, flowers, acidity and tannins). “It has Piedmont-like tannins and Northern Rhône aromatics,” says Eben. Regardless, as you can read below, it’s a brilliant red. It ferments in concrete with 50% whole bunches and is raised for 11 months in large cask. Like all Sadie wines, it is an outstanding, idiosyncratic red of beauty, finesse and character.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Tinta Barocca
Country South Africa
Region Swartland
Feature High Score
Reviewed By James Suckling
Critic Score 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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