Sadie Family Swartland Rotsbank 2023

“Part of a trilogy of Chenin Blancs – and the only one from Eben Sadie’s base in the Swartland – this is a brilliant second release from very bony, decomposed granite soils on the Paardeberg. Perfumed, elegant, steely and refined, it has a Grand Cru Chablis-like focus and intensity, all wet stones and oyster shell, with rock salt and fresh lime flavours and the seamless concentration of its 39-year-old bush vines.” 98 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2024

“The sophomore 2023 Rotsbank is the only Chenin that evolves a gunflint tincture, according to Eben Sadie. That comes through on the nose, which has more complexity than the Skurfberg this year. Pear, honeysuckle, crushed stone and light walnut scents blossom in the glass. The palate has exquisite balance and energy, real complexity and drive, and an almost penetrating finish that demands the finest oysters known to mankind. This is rapidly staking a claim to be Eben Sadie’s finest wine in a stellar portfolio.” 97 points, Neal Martin, Vinous

Having coveted the site for a decade and a half, Eben finally got his hands on these 40-year-old vines in 2021. “We have always maintained that we would only bottle a Swartland Chenin if it could be from this vineyard,” Eben tells us. “It might have been a long 14 years of waiting to get our hands on this vineyard, but it was simply worth it in every respect.”

It is located in the Paardeberg and planted on a very shallow rock shelf, “Rotsbank”. This leads to minimal vine growth as the topsoil is exceptionally shallow. The reserves are always scant, and the general shoot length and bunch sizes are much smaller than in the surrounding Chenin vineyards. These early releases are clearly special, yet Eben believes there is more to come, noting: “We have spent much time and capital over the past three seasons to elevate this vineyard to the highest level, and within a year or two, we expect an even greater response from the soils.”

Cropped at 32 hl/ha and bottled at just over 13%, the new release is a frighteningly good essay in tension. The wine’s substantial acidity and mouthcoating dry finish suggest it will only benefit from the time in the bottle. It is one of the most linear expressions of the year. “It is a blue steel Chenin,” quips Sadie.

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