2017 Sadie Family Swartland Palladius, South Africa

Signature wine. 13.5%. Sadie’s signature white, Palladius, is a blend of all eleven of Swartland’s official white varieties, with old, bush-vine Chenin Blanc playing the principal role. The idea is to produce a great white that represents the overall terroir of Swartland (as much as this is possible) and to use all of the permitted varieties. As a result, this is harvested from seventeen separate vineyard sites, with the full list of grapes comprising: Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon, Palomino and Colombard, as well as the hyper-rare Semillon Gris (which plays a key role in Sadie’s Kokerboom and T’Voetpad Old Vine Series cuvées). Scattered throughout the Swartland, most of the vineyards are rooted in decomposed Paardeberg Granite (although four parcels lie on sandstone) and qualify for old vine status (35-plus years with the oldest vines planted in 1935). The younger fruit comes from Sadie’s own plantings, though even here the yields max out at 22 hl/ha.

As for the winemaking, the fruit was sorted and pressed in a traditional basket, directly into clay amphorae and six concrete eggs. The wine finished fermenting in its own time, which can take up to 20 months, after which it went to large wooden foudre to finish its maturation before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Throughout the season, Sadie’s major goal is to “try and get the maximum volume of compact fruit and texture together with the best potential volume of acidity and freshness.” That’s something he has unquestionably achieved here, with the breadth and texture setting Palladius apart from the other Old Vine Series whites. Unlike those wines, Palladius relies less on the Chenin acidity, harnessing instead a deep phenolic freshness that structures the wine. It’s a white of Talmudic complexity; the kind of wine you can sit on for hours pulling apart. Compared to the 2016, there’s a more crystal-cut fresh fruit profile here, with stone fruit and peach skin aromas almost suggesting a cooler vintage (one result of early picking), then white cassis and green apple skin, and flecks of salty, mineral and lime undertones on the close. The most restrained Palladius we have tasted.

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Even Eben Sadie can’t always remember the 11 grapes that make up the blend of this white blend, dominated by Chenin Blanc, with Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne and Semillon Gris among the supporting cast. Amphorae and concrete egg-fermented, it's a wine that’s less blowsy than in the past, with pear, peach and citrus flavours, subtle oak and aromatic spices.”