The Sadie Family - Sémillon Kokerboom 2022

Eben Sadie is considered one of the great visionaries and preservationists among South African winemakers. He is outspoken about his obsession with terroir and making sure the Swartland region is recognized as a place to make exceptional, authentic and highly coveted wines. 

He founded Sadie Family Wines in 1999, after establishing his career in both South Africa and wineries across the world and released his first vintage of Columella in 2000. He was one of the first to focus on creating wines that express their area, or a single vineyard, rather than blending extensively across regions which was unconventional at the time. 

This site specificity along with field varietals and older vineyard parcels are the philosophy that drives the production of his two ranges of wines - The Signature Series (Columella and Palladius) and then his Old Vine Series (9 different wines). Columella is a blend of old-vine fruit from eight Swartland vineyards while Palladius is a blend of 11 varieties from 17 different vineyard sites, with old, bush-vine Chenin Blanc driving the cuvée. The Signature Series wines are the result of a project with renowned viticulturist, Rosa Kruger to discover, revitalise, and in some cases, save old vineyards throughout the Cape. These limited volume wines are produced without any additions and without much manipulation. The reds are mostly fermented whole cluster as that was the pre-1940’s vinification standard. The whites are whole bunch pressed. None of the wines are refined or altered as Eben strives to bottle the most “honest” wines that show their true character and location.

The Kokerboom vineyard’s juice composition often lacks natural nitrogen and yeast nutrients, resulting in a 10-day fermentation start and a 6-8 month duration, often extending into the following spring. By then, malolactic fermentation is usually complete. Regarding aging, the wine stays in cask for the initial 12 months on fermentation lees, with bottling directly from the lees. About 60ppm of sulfur is added 2-3 weeks before bottling to ensure even distribution, as thorough mixing isn't feasible while the wine remains on the coarse lees.

"This is a wonderful expression of his Citrusdal Mountain farm, and something of a tribute to Henk Laing, the grower who passed away last year. Combining Semillon with around 15% interplanted Semillon Gris, this is less exotic than it can be, showing layers of honeysuckle, saffron, citrus and herbs supported by fresh, sappy minerality, a touch of tannin and a musky undertone.” - 96 Points, Tim Atkin

"Starting with a delightful mineral-laced nose, the 2022 Old Vine Series Kokerboom offers complex aromas of roasted almonds, underripe peach and wax melon with delightful citrus blossom. Light to medium-bodied and with 12.8% alcohol, the palate is complex, offering a beautiful weight with a waxy and phenolic mouthfeel before showcasing incredible mineral tension with energetic acidity. This beauty will remain food friendly for years and will benefit from another year in the bottle. Only 2,300 bottles were produced of this devastatingly gorgeous wine.” - 95 Points, Wine Advocate

Producer: The Sadie Family

Country: South Africa

Region: Olifants River

Varietal: Sémillon

Appellation: Olifants River

Vintage: 2022

Size: 750ml