2022 Sadie Family Wines, Cinsault “Pofadder” Swartland, South Africa.
As I’ve said before, South Africa has some of the best Cinsault wines in the wold and Sadie’s Pofadder Cinsault is maybe the most sought after there is, and this 2022 vintage proves why with exceptional balance and complexity. Beautifully dark ruby in the glass and filled with red fruits, pretty florals, spices, licorice and subtle savory tones in a medium bodied wines that delivers wild plum, cherry, bramble berry and earthy currant fruits. Sadie says he basically fill the concrete tanks whole cluster to about 50% and then de-stem 50% to get some juice in the tank to have the initiation of fermentation, which starts natural. The maceration/fermentation lasts for about 30 days on the skins and then he presses the grapes in an old basket press. Post fermentation, Sadie adds that the wine is then transferred into some 28 year old conical wooden casks that do not impart any wooden flavors and the age and the saturation of the wooden staves also make for a very slow reaction of the resultant wine with oxygen. The Pofadder Cinsault is left on the lees for 11 months and then racked to another concrete tank for an additional month to settle clean, with stellar results ending up in bottle. As this wine opens up in the glass it gets deeper, but with velvety tannins, and more expressive, making for an elevated experience and I suggest letting it take its time and enjoy it with a meal.
Eben Sadie, the winemaker, is a legend and no one in the wine industry has anything but admiration for him and his wines, and while largely South African wines remain a mystery to most of the public, Sadie’s wines, as I’ve said before, are nothing short of world class brilliant. These wines have helped redefine my opinion of top end South African wines, along with Baadenhorst, Hamilton-Russell and old school Kannonkop. While the Columella Rhône inspired blend is a wine enthusiast and serious collectors wine, Sadie does a few bottlings that don’t pain the wallet as much, these that I recommend are, this beautiful 100% Cinsault Pofadder, the 100% Tinta Barocca Treinspoor, the 100% Chenin Blanc (called Steen locally) Skerpioen, the Palladius white blend, which sees a combination of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Gris, Semillon Blanc, Palomino and Colombard, making it the white version of the Columella and the 100% Grenache Noir Soldaat. The 2022 Pofadder Cinsault really is an exciting example of this varietal which is most commonly found in the Languedoc, like Corbieres, the Rhône, where it is one of the minor Châteauneuf du Pape grapes and Provence, but is also has long times homes in South Africa, Australia and California. While usually blended Cinsault can be fabulous as a solo varietal wines, as seen here, and I highly recommend chasing some down.
($99 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive