Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder 2022

Can Cinsault make world class wines? In the right hands, yes. This complex, juicy, joyously drinkable Darling red has amazing concentration and grip for what is only a medium-bodied wine. Rose petal and hibiscus aromas segue into a palate of goji berry and red cherry, with some clove and white pepper top notes from 50% whole clusters and a fresh, ocean-influenced finish. 2024-30. 96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2023

The 2022 Pofadder is pure Cinsault from Swartland, 50% whole clusters with 20 to 28 days on the skins, raised in 40-year-old foudres. It has a pure bouquet with maraschino, blueberry, pressed flowers and a light musk-like scent. Stunning delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins, perfectly judged acidity, gentle grip and an extraordinarily long and sensual finish. Cinsault doesn’t get better than this, and I could understand why Sadie remarked, “The fruit was so great I didn’t want to put it into the vat. 95 points, Neal Martin, Vinous

Old Vine Series. In the 1920s, Cinsault was the most-planted black grape in South Africa. However, as one of the fickler varieties to work with and to vinify, it suffered a fall from grace post-WWII. It’s only very recently that (with growers such as Eben Sadie and Chris Alheit leading the charge) the ‘Pinot Noir of Swartland’ has been reborn, and the results are revelatory. This variety is now being planted more and more by some top growers in the south of Franc. Wines like this show you why.

Pofadder is pure Cinsault, cropped from a parcel on the Kasteelberg Mountain (west of Malmesbury) planted in 1973. The soils are slate and decomposed shale. Pofadder is Afrikaans for a puff adder, a type of snake in these parts that claimed the life of a vineyard worker in the 1940s. Sadie is a champion for old-vine Cinsault in the Cape, but even he concedes that this is the vineyard and the wine that need the most care. Controlling yields, bunch/berry sorting and protection from oxidation in the cellar are all vital.

Roughly 50% whole bunches are placed in an old wooden, open-top fermenter, with one or two gentle foot-stomps each day to release just enough juice to keep the fermentation ticking over. After a month on skins, the grapes are transferred to a tiny basket press and pressed directly to 28-year-old conical wooden casks for aging. The wine, crafted from yields below 28 hl/ha, is a gloriously textured yet vibrant wine, a delicate ode to variety and region.

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