2018 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen, South Africa

Old Vine Series. 12.5% alc. Named after the abundant native Scorpions that make their home here, Skerpioen is an unirrigated, 2.4-hectare, 80-plus-year-old vineyard of half Palomino and half Chenin Blanc just two kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean. The soils here are very chalky, a type of soil that Sadie likens to the white albarizas of Andalucía. Fitting then that the vines here are 50% Palomino. This is also one of the coolest parts of the Swartland, yet also a very dry location (average rainfall of around 300mm per year), which naturally restricts the yields and concentrates the fruit, magnifying the vineyards’ characteristic saline intensity. This parcel produces an average, tiny yield of 24 hl/ha. The grapes are picked and pressed together and naturally co-ferment in old wooden casks. The result is a stunning and complex white that is completely unique.

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Now that I've visited the vineyard, I admire this wine even more, such is the heroism required to grow grapes in such an isolated site. Combining Chenin Blanc and Palomino grown on sand a limestone soils, it's pale, fragrant, yeasty and salty with notes of kelp, quince and citrus and some stony, struck-match reduction.