The Sadie Family

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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" and he has also branched out to other wine regions such as in Spain.[1][2][3]

History[]

Prior to his career as a winemaker, following a period as a surfer,[4][5] Eben Sadie traveled and worked in several of the world's wine regions, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Oregon and Burgundy.[2] Having returned to South Africa, Sadie found work under Charles Back at The Spice Route in 1998,[4][6] 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.[7] The initial vintage of Columella in 2000 began on an exceptionally small scale, with a production 17 barrels, approximately 5000 bottles.[2] The first two vintages were produced at Back's Spice Route facilities until Sadie established Sadie Family Wines with R9000, and 14 barrels. The company consists of three employees, in addition to Eben Sadie, his brother and sister.[8] 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.[5][9] In defense of Columella's high retail price per bottle, Sadie states the wine is unusually costly to make.

Sequillo Cellars[]

Since 2003, the label Sequillo Cellars was started by Eben Sadie in partnership with Cornel Spies, to some degree considered The Sadie Family's more affordable second wines.[7]

Eben Sadie stopped producing this wine in 2014. He is now focusing on The Sadie Family Wines exclusively.

Terroir al Límit[]

Eben Sadie was also involved with Spanish wine producer Terroir Al Límit in the village of Torroja in Priorat, Catalonia. This was joint collaboration with Dominik A. Huber and viticulturist Jaume Sabaté.[1] The project was founded in 2004 and initially drew upon fruit from the vineyards of Dits del Terra owned by Sadie, Arbossar owned by Huber. Despite the northern hemisphere agricultural cycle allowing Sadie to work both vintages he started taking a less prominent role starting in 2010.[1]

Sadie ceased all involvement in the project by 2010 and now focuses solely on his wines in South Africa. www.thesadiefamily.com

Production[]

Signature Series

Columella is a blend of Mediterranean red varieties that are well suited to the soils of the Swartland and its oceanic climate. Nine small and extreme parcels of vineyards make upthe final blend to produce a true Swartland wine. It can be described as an “appellation” or a “regional” wine and the main objective is that the wine should be the best possible ambassador of the entire region, therefore all the regional grape varieties need to be part of the final wine. They blend the vineyards, not the grapes.

The maiden vintage of Columella was in 2000 and over the past 20 years the Columella wine has grown into being regarded as one of the truly high-quality regional wines of the world. All the parcels are pressed to oak barrels (of which 10% is new) for the first year of ageing and then racked off for an additional year of ageing in big old wooden foudres prior to bottling.

Palladius is a blend of Mediterranean white varieties that are well suited to the various soils of the Swartland and its oceanic climate. The resulting wine is a combination of 11 different varieties that are harvested out of 17 vineyard parcels; and it is one of the most unique wines in the world. Each variety and each type of soil brings forward another note and add to the complexity in the f inal composition of the wine.

The maiden vintage for Palladius was 2002 and over the course of the past two decades it has become a reference in terms of a white blend with great texture and complexity. All the parcels are pressed to concrete eggs and clay amphoras to ferment. At 12 months they are blended and moved to two old wooden foudres for an additional year.

Heritage Wines

Wine has always been a matter of suspended time and history and after the first decade at The Sadie Family Wines we realised that, as a nation, they have acquired many old precious vineyards in the Cape. Some of them are complete historical compilations that capture our viticultural legacy, but they are often neglected due to economic challenges. They have had the privilege to tend to some of them that, with care and respect, came to life again.

They embarked on the release of the “Old Vine Series” in 2009: a range of six historical vineyards was bottled at first and in later years an additional 3 vineyards were added. These vineyards are true snapshots and a celebration of the past 100+ years. Very limited quantities of the Old Vine Series are released annually. The range is currently made up of the following wines:

Skeripoen, Skurfberg, Kokerboom, Voetpad, Mev. Kirsten, Soldaat, Pofadder and Treinspoor

The 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 for they believe it is not a matter of trying to bottle the best wine on the planet, but rather to bottle the most honest wine. It is essential that wine shows its true character and location.

The Sadie Family Wines is about wines that are transparent and pure; and place must always take position above progress.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Miquel Hudin (2015), Vinologue Priorat, Vinologue, p. 480, ISBN 978-0-983-77185-2
  2. ^ a b c Goode, Jamie, wineanorak.com The wines of Sadie Family
  3. ^ Robinson, Jancis, jancisrobinson.com (11 August 2009). The virtues of blending
  4. ^ a b Apple, R.W., The New York Times (22 April 1998). A South African Black On a Road Never Traveled
  5. ^ a b Dixon, Robyn (23 February 2009). "In South Africa, an artist in the vineyard". Los Angeles Times. Malmesbury. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  6. ^ Prial, Frank J., The New York Times (5 June 2002). In South Africa, He Let the Goats Out
  7. ^ a b Atkin, Tim, decanter.com (8 June 2009). Interview with Eben Sadie
  8. ^ Yarrow, Alder, vinography.com (3 October 2008). Sadie Family Wines, Swartland, South Africa
  9. ^ James, Tim, Grape (27 September 2009). Columella glows in starlight

External links[]

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