The Sadie Family: two blends and six Swartland vineyards
Eight wines, from €77 to €136The Swartland is a hot, dry area north of Cape Town, long better known for wheat than for wine. Eben Sadie set up his estate there with his sister and brother, after making wine in Austria, Spain, Germany, Italy, Oregon, and Burgundy. He now works 54 plots spread over 38 hectares, all managed biodynamically, with very low yields.
The catalog can be read in two parts. First, the two great blends, Columella in red and Palladius in white. Then a series of old vine plots vinified separately, one cuvée per site. The tables below show this logic, then the details of the soils, grape varieties, and age of the vines.
The Sadie Family - T'Voetpad 2024
The Sadie Family - Pofadder 2024
The Sadie Family - Skurfberg Chenin 2024
The Sadie Family - Skerpioen 2024
The Sadie Family - Palladius 2023
All the identity and richness of Swartland in one bottle
The Sadie Family - Kokerboom 2024
Kokerboom is a living memory of South African Sémillon: a rare and vibrant wine born from the heights of the Cederberg
Two assemblies on one side, six plots on the other
Columella and Palladius bring together the fruit of several sites: these are the wines that bear the signature of the house. The second range does the opposite; it isolates a plot and vinifies it alone, without seeking to correct it through blending.
| Vintage | The range | The wine | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columella2023 | Both assemblies | Red. Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Tinta Barocca. Aged two years before bottling. | €136 |
| Palladius2023 | Both assemblies | White. Eleven grape varieties, fermentation in amphorae and concrete eggs, two years on fine lees. | €128 |
| Pofadder2024 | Old vines | Red. Pure Cinsault from Kasteelberg Mountain, the lightest in texture among the estate's reds. | €77 |
| Soldier2024 | Old vines | Red. Pure Grenache on decomposed granite, trodden by foot, around ten years of aging potential. | €77 |
| Skurfberg2024 | Old vines | White. Chenin from Citrusdal Mountain, from 90-year-old vines. | €77 |
| Scorpio2024 | Old vines | White. Chenin and Palomino co-pressed, two kilometers from the Atlantic. Saline and mineral. | €77 |
| Quiver tree2024 | Old vines | White. White and grey Sémillon from Cederberg, high altitude, from a 1930s vineyard. | €77 |
| The footpath 2024 | Old vines | A single 1.4-hectare plot, planted between 1887 and 1928. | €105, sold out |
T'Voetpad 2024 is sold out: it is listed here for range information, not for sale. Five cuvées share the exact same price, €77, and this is no coincidence. We will come back to this later.
What each plot brings to the glass
The Old Vine series covers three distinct areas: the Swartland itself, the Citrusdal Mountains further north, and the Cederberg at altitude. The soils change, the grape varieties change, and so does the age of the vines. This is the only place in the catalogue where one can compare terroirs under equal conditions.
| Vintage | Grape variety | The location and the ground | The vineyards | Livestock farming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pofadder2024 | Cinsault | Mount Kasteelberg. Decomposed slate and sandstone. | Over 45 years old, yield limited to 30 hl/ha. | A month of maceration, twelve months in old barrels, no fining or filtration. |
| Soldier2024 | Grenache | Decomposed granite soils. | Hand-picked, sustainable farming. | A month in concrete vats with foot treading, then a year in barrels. |
| Skurfberg2024 | Chenin | Citrusdal Mountains, north. Decomposed sandstone. | About 90 years old, without herbicides or chemical fertilizers. | Twelve months on lees in old barrels, then an additional six months after blending. |
| Scorpio2024 | Chenin and Palomino | Clay and limestone, two kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. | Over 65 years old, hand-harvested. | Co-pressing, indigenous yeasts in old barrels, then ovoid concrete tanks. |
| Quiver tree2024 | White and grey Sémillon | Cederberg, north of Cape Town. Poor granite, high altitude. | Planted in the 1930s, goblet-pruned, unirrigated. | Whole cluster pressed, approximately twelve months on lees. |
| Footpath 2024 | Grape varieties planted from 1887 to 1928 | Northern Swartland valley, near Aurora and Elands Bay. | 3.46 acres, without irrigation, fed by an underground river. | Cuvée sold out. |
Columella and Palladius are not included in this table: they combine several sites among the 54 plots of the estate and therefore do not belong to a single location.
Which wine should I start with in the range
The tables give the logic. Here are the bottles, and only those that we can ship today.
Enter by the cinsault
The most affordable wine from the house, and the easiest to read: low in tannins, very refined. The grape variety is nicknamed here the Pinot Noir of Swartland.
Pofadder 2024 · €77The estate's big red wine
Six grape varieties blended, two years of aging, bottled without filtration. Red berries, black olive, pepper, powdery tannins.
Columella 2023 · €136The estate's great white
Eleven grape varieties, fermentation in amphorae and concrete eggs, two years on fine lees. Citrus, quince, grilled almond, gunflint.
Palladius 2023 · €128Understanding Cape Chenin
Ninety-year-old vines grown on decomposed sandstone in Citrusdal. At once ample and lively, this wine is made for fish or poultry in a cream sauce.
Skurfberg 2024 · €77A coastal saline white
Chenin and Palomino co-fermented, from clay and limestone soils two kilometers from the Atlantic. Produced in very small quantities.
Scorpio 2024 · 77 €A high-altitude Sémillon
1930s Cederberg vineyard, bush vines, dry-farmed. Ample texture, saline acidity, slightly bitter finish.
Quiver Tree 2024 · €77For a rich dish
Pure Grenache, generous and fleshy. The estate recommends pairing it with duck confit shepherd's pie, royal couscous, or caramelised pork.
Soldaat 2024 · €77Extend to the rest of the Cape
Alheit, Crystallum, Hamilton Russell, Savage: the other South African estates we follow.
Our South African WinesTo forge a new path elsewhere
The white grape variety that the Cape shares with the Loire. Two climates, two interpretations of the same variety.
Our chenin section
At Sadie's, price does not categorize the plots
Five of the eight cuvées are sold for €77. Pofadder, Soldaat, Skurfberg, Skerpioen, Kokerboom: a Cinsault from Kasteelberg, a Grenache on granite, two whites made from Chenin, a high-altitude Sémillon. Five locations that have almost nothing in common, and not a cent's difference between them.
This is a rare position. Elsewhere, a higher price indicates the plot that the winemaker deems superior, and the buyer follows this ranking without having to taste. Here, one must choose differently: by the grape variety, by the soil, by what one wants to serve at the table. It's more demanding, and it's more honest.
How do you choose
We keep the entire range when a domain works in this manner. The interest is precisely to be able to compare two terroirs under equal conditions, which a single cuvée does not allow.
And we verify the readability: an old vine wine must bring tension and length, not just concentration. Otherwise, the age of the vines is just a label argument.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What is required of us in the Sadie domain
What is the Swartland?
It is an area of hills and plains located north of Cape Town, South Africa, within the Coastal Region. It is among the hottest wine regions in the country and was long a land of wheat before it became a land of wine. Its old, unirrigated vines, often goblet-trained, attracted a generation of winemakers.
Who is Eben Sadie?
A winemaker from Swartland, based with his sister and brother, and one of the major figures in South African winemaking. He made wine in Austria, Spain, Germany, Italy, Oregon, and Burgundy before returning to set up his own estate. Critic Neal Martin described him as an outspoken, itinerant, terroir-obsessed winemaker who has been instrumental in bringing Swartland to prominence.
Which bottle should I start with?
Why are five vintages the same price?
Because the estate does not classify its plots. Pofadder, Soldaat, Skurfberg, Skerpioen, and Kokerboom are all €77, even though they come from different soils, grape varieties, and areas. Only the two blends are priced higher, Columella at €136 and Palladius at €128. The choice is therefore based on the terroir and the use, never on the price.
Why do the Old Vines of the Cape matter?
Because they are few in number and they grow without irrigation in a dry climate. At Sadie, the Kokerboom comes from a vineyard planted in the 1930s, the Skurfberg chenin from vines about 90 years old, the Skerpioen from vines over 65 years old, the Pofadder from cinsault over 45 years old, and the T'Voetpad from vines planted between 1887 and 1928. These plots yield little and produce wines of tension rather than power, which explains the controlled alcohol levels in a hot region.
How long should I keep these wines?
The domain's Skurfberg is best enjoyed a decade after its vintage, and the Soldaat around ten years as well. Several cuvées are bottled without fining or filtration: a slight deposit after a few years is normal, so stand the bottle upright the day before serving.
Are these wines organic?
The estate's plots are biodynamically farmed, with very low yields. The Pofadder is grown using organic methods and limited to 30 hl/ha, the Skurfberg grows without herbicides or chemical fertilizers, the Kokerboom without irrigation or synthetic products. Our other bottles of this type are grouped in the organic wine section.
Is the T'Voetpad still available?
No, the 2024 is sold out. This is the house's rarest vintage: 1.4 hectares planted between 1887 and 1928, in a valley north of Swartland near Aurora and Elands Bay, unirrigated, fed by an underground river. Write to us if you would like to be notified of a return to the cellar.