Kokerboom 2022

The Sadie Family Estate's Kokerboom cuvée is a wine that embodies both South Africa's ancient winemaking heritage and the artisanal philosophy of Eben Sadie, a leading figure in South African viticulture. Made from old Sémillon vines planted in the Cederberg region, north of the Cape, this wine draws its identity from a unique, high-altitude terroir where significant temperature variations and poor granite soils give the grapes remarkable tension and complexity. The vineyard, planted in the 1930s , is composed of white and grey Sémillon , cultivated in goblet form using environmentally friendly agricultural practices, without irrigation or synthetic products. The name Kokerboom , which means "quiver tree" in Afrikaans, refers to an aloe species emblematic of the South African desert, a symbol of resilience and a deep connection to the land.

The wine is vinified in a minimalist style: manual harvesting, gentle pressing of whole bunches, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in old oak barrels, and aging on lees for approximately 12 months. No superfluous additions are tolerated, allowing a pure expression of the grape variety and the terroir.

Upon tasting, this wine reveals a complex and captivating aromatic palette. The nose is both floral and herbaceous, with notes of dried flowers , green tea , citrus peel , and beeswax . Hints of quince , lemon zest , and flint complete the aromas. On the palate, the wine seduces with its ample, almost glycerine texture, counterbalanced by a lively, saline acidity that structures the whole. The finish ends with a very noble bitterness.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.