The Sadie Family is a South African producer of wine located in the Swartland region. Following the emergence of flagship wines Columella and Palladius, winemaker Eben Sadie has been described as an enfant terrible, South Africa's first certified celebrity winemaker, and by supporters as one of the greatest and most original winemakers in the southern hemisphere. He has also branched out to other wine regions, such as in Spain.

Eben Sadie traveled and worked in several of the world's wine regions, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Oregon and Burgundy. Having returned to South Africa, Sadie found work under Charles Back at The Spice Route in 1998, eventually becoming the chief winemaker and a resource Back described as national asset for the South African wine industry.

The solo venture The Sadie Family was founded in 1999. The initial vintage of Columella in 2000 began on an exceptionally small scale, with a production of 17 barrels, approximately 5000 bottles. The first two vintages were produced at Back's Spice Route facilities until Sadie established Sadie Family Wines with R9000 (US$1297), and 14 barrels. The company consists of three employees, in addition to Eben Sadie, his brother and sister. The initial vintage of the Palladius was in 2002 with a production of seven barrels, just under 2000 bottles.

The Sadie Family has enjoyed success beyond any other modern South African wine producer as Columella is the most highly rated South African wine, and the only to achieve a 95-point rating by US wine magazine Wine Spectator. In defense of Columella's high retail price per bottle, Sadie states the wine is unusually costly to make.

Here we detail the wines of the last vintage

1. Columella 2022 – red wine

This 2022 Columella vintage displays floral aromas, and the bright, fresh fruit aromas carry over into oriental spicey aspects that then meet up with deepened earthy dynamics. Over time, the trademark violets and perfumes will develop further; the wine is very compact. The acidity at the end of the palate and the overall tannin are very well-placed, and the overall balance of the wine is terrific. The first thought that comes to mind is that it is a classic vintage, with most

aspects being textbook. This 2022 vintage is also the lowest alcohol we ever achieved on the blend at 13,2 %.

2. Palladius 2022 – white wine

The 2022 starts by almost playing hide-and-seek; the wine is more reserved and holding back. And only after warming up and a couple of minutes in the glass does the conversation start. The aromas are that of green apple and citrus flint, and then some of the stone fruit aromas begin to shine through. The wine needs time. The palate is already balanced, and the acidity is met by very firm tannins. The aftertaste is lingering.

3. Soldaat 2023 – red wine

This 2023 Soldaat displays the usual red cherry and strawberry fruit aromas that carry through into deeper earthy flavours. This year, the colour is slightly darker but still bright red, and the tannins are more textured and compact. The fruit is overall quite expressive,

and the mouthfeel of the more compact tannins suggests that this vintage will age well and the wine will gain massive complexity with time in the bottle. The underlying dormant secondary flavours are well knitted together with the acidity.

4. Pofadder 2023 – red wine

The 2023 Pofadder displays highly complex aromas and is one of the most stylish presentations of Cinsaut we have seen. The overall balance and depth of the wine are just sublime. The complex fruit aromas and earthy aspects carry through to the mouthfeel and taste, which is a more mature style of Cinsaut. The overall balance and crisp acidity make for a long, persisting aftertaste.

5. Treinspoor 2023 – red wine

This 2023 Treinspoor comes straight out of the blocks with the most complex, spicey, and earthy aromas. The entire wine smells like beautiful soil that was just ploughed. The earthy aromas and the bright red fruit aromas are packed together, resting on substantial tannins and acidity that will carry this into the future. This wine needs time.

6. Skerpioen 2023 – white wine

The 2023 Skerpioen displays the usual limey and citrus flavours associated with the vineyard. This wine’s distinctive saline qualities, salty taste, and minerality are again prominent. The Chenin and Palomino field blend is very stable annually in its expression. The tannins and the acidity are slightly softer than in the last two vintages, and this vintage could be savoured earlier as the balance and mouthfeel are already very balanced.

7. ‘T Voetpad 2023 – white wine

This 2023 ‘T Voetpad displays limey, cordial, and citrus aspects with a racy entry point. The wine is firm and tightly coiled up. It needs so much time. This vintage field blend is in perfect harmony. The wine is incredibly balanced and compact.

8. Kokerboom 2023 – white wine

2023 Kokerboom displays the typical waxy, lanolin characters often associated with Semillon. For the second year running, they had very little rain in the Citrusdal Mountains, and the vineyard was in a stressful environment throughout the growing season. They opted again to pick the vineyard slightly earlier than what they naturally would be inclined to, and the wine still yielded 13,8% alcohol, notwithstanding its fresh appearance, it is mammoth wine. The tannins, acidity, overall texture, and volume in the wine are incredible.

9. Skurfberg 2023 – white wine

For this 2023 Skurfberg vintage, they also opted to pick seemingly prematurely, as it is in the Citrusdal Mountains and shares the same seasonal dynamics. The physiology of the fruit seemed delayed, yet the wine also yielded 13.9% alcohol. The combination of the volume of the wine and the firm acidity makes for an incredible wine that is essentially built to last. The trademark granny smith apple, pear skin, and lanolin are very present in the aromas. The wine’s viscosity and volume, combined with the cutting acidity, suggest that this vintage has the mechanics to age incredibly well, like Kokerboom.

10.   Rotsbank 2023 – white wine

This 2023 Rotsbank bottling displays match flint, almost crushed oyster shell aromas with grapefruit aspects. The wine is incredibly concentrated on the aromatics, and the tannins have massive tension. The wine’s substantial acidity and dry finish suggest that it will only benefit much from the time in the bottle. It is one of the most linear expressions of the year. It is a blue steel Chenin.

11.   Mev Kirsten 2023 - white wine

The 2023 Mev Kirsten displays limey, citrus and melba toast aromas being coated by a fresher aspect that spills over into pear skin and green apple pulp freshness that continues. The vintage’s trademark across all the Chenin vineyards is that we yielded full wines with beaming acidity and linear finishes. As a result, this is one of the more restrained vintages in character with incredible complexity. 

As always, the wine has a substantial volume and viscosity.