2022 The Sadie Family 'Pofadder' Cinsault Swartland

Winemaker Notes: Cinsault was an obvious candidate for inclusion in the Old Vine Series, although it poses many quality problems in the vineyard and cellar, including the difficulty of keeping yields down, attaining perfect ripeness, and its oxidative character.

There were 5 vineyards considered, but the block on the Western side of Kasteelberg Mountain was far above the rest in quality (the snakelike form of the mountain gave the wine its name). The vines were planted in 1973 on soils of slate and decomposed shale formations.

After picking, careful sorting is vital to get rid of both underripe and over-ripe berries. The whole clusters are then placed in an old wooden open-top fermenter, with one or two punchdowns by foot each day to slowly release juice for fermentation. After a month on the skins the grapes are transferred by hand into a tiny basket press and pressed directly to an old wooden cask. The wine is bottled after a year or so, to retain the fruit and elegance of the wine and avoid any premature oxidation character.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Decanter - "The gnarly old bush vines for this world-class Cinsault lie in a cooler microclimate of the Swartland, the gentle hills of the Riebeeksrivier valley. There's an intense perfume: roses, lilies, violets and exotic spice, fringed in savoury earthy tones and fresh cinnamon. The tannins are satiny and bright, ribboning around pure cherries and berries with a hint of sea salt on the long finish."


Antonio Galloni - "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.' 13.4% alcohol"


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Red-fruited and softly spicy, the 2022 Old Vine Series Pofadder offers ample floral expressions with crunchy red fruit aromas that display a pure and fresh expression of Cinsault. Medium to full-bodied and with 14% alcohol, the palate is fresh and mineral driven before a firm tannic grip clamps down, telling me it's much too young right now. With a fine acid backbone, this beauty will continue to shine with elegance and finesse for more than a decade. It's immensely pleasurable and has me craving duck breast. Only 5,000 bottles were produced from 50% whole-cluster Cinsault. Speaking with Eben Sadie, he believes it’s their best Cinsault since 2012. 94+"