Sadie Family Wines - Palladius 2020 (750ml)

Price: $67.00

Producer	Sadie Family Wines
Country	South Africa
Varietal	Chenin Blanc
Vintage	2020
Sku	5733
Size	750ml

For twenty years Eden Sadie has been working in South Africa’s rugged Swartland seeking to find isolated vineyards of old bush vines and unique terroirs from which he makes wines that are built to age. He came to Swartland in 1999 for its variety of soils and varied geology – chalk soils in some areas, granite, sandstone and alluvials elsewhere. Fairly warm and dry, the region lends itself to organic farming.

Sadie’s flagship wine is Columella, a syrah-based blend grown on slate, granite, sandstone and gravel first made in 2000. The quality of this wine continues to benefit from the experience gained over the 20 years of its production, reflecting the deeply research-based approach of the estate.

Several other bottlings are produced, including wines from Chenin Blanc, Semillon and co-fermented white field blends in addition to reds from Cinsault and Grenache among others. He is responding to the increasingly warmer climate by cultivating varietals that naturally do better in drier environments – such as the native grapes of Portugal, Sicily and southern Spain.

The estate has attracted a significant following not just for the extraordinary and relatively unknown terroirs from which the fruit is sourced but for the rigorous mindset of Eden Sadie himself. There is a strong pioneering spirit here. No compromises are made in the pursuit of making honest wines of quality.

Wine Advocate: 96 Points

Almost mythical the 2021 Palladius begins with sweet citrus and spice notes with hints of lemon-lime candy exuding depth and power in the glass. Medium to full-bodied the wine has incredible focus and a delightful and seductive mineral essence that unfolds across the mid-palate revealing a lovely essence of white spice and dusty flowers. The wine glides to an impeccable long-lingering and spicy finish with persistent elements of citrus and soft notions of sautéed almonds. I might have to finish the glass.