Sadie Family Wines - Pofadder Cinsault 2019 (750ml)
Price: $76.00
| Producer | Sadie Family Wines |
| Country | South Africa |
| Varietal | Cinsault |
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Sku | 167559 |
| Size | 750ml |
For twenty years Eben 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 Eben Sadie himself. There is a strong pioneering spirit here. No compromises are made in the pursuit of making honest wines of quality.
Tim Atkin: 94 Points
Picked slightly riper than usual in 2019, Pofadder also benefited from a decent crop compared with some of the Old Vine Series parcels. Plusher and darker than the 2018 was at this stage, with more grip and flavours of bramble and black cherry, this is a serious, sinewy Cinsault with a nip of tannins. "A small dog that bites you," says Eben Sadie. 2023-29
Vinous: 92 Points
The 2019 Pofadder contains 80% whole-cluster Cinsault matured in used foudre. It has an extremely well-defined bouquet of pine cones and mint-infused red fruit. The palate is well balanced with good grip on the entry a mixture of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit leading to an herbal finish that just needs a little more grip and density. Still this is an excellent OVS from Sadie though I would not put it at the top of the pile this year. -- Neal Martin
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