2023 - Soldaat, The Sadie Family, Swartland

The Sadie Family 2023 Citrusdal Mountain Old Vine Series Soldaat comes from the remote Piekenierskloof area, which again sees weathered Table Mountain sandstone formations. Winemaking starts in concrete tanks that are partially filled with whole clusters (about 30%) and topped off with destemmed fruit in order to get some juice in the vats and to activate the yeasts. Fermentation lasts about 30 days on the skins, and an old basket press is used. The wine only sees concrete for 12 months. This graceful Grenache is beautifully nuanced with wild berry aromas, blue flower and a chiseled point of rusty nail or iron ore that adds high-toned elegance, bordering on fragility.

The 2023 Soldaat is Grenache planted on quartz sandstone. It has a well-defined, open-knit bouquet of Morello cherry and strawberry, moderate in terms of complexity. To put it in banal terms, it might be the "prettiest" of Sadie's reds this year. The palate is all pomegranate and red cherries. Fresh and vibrant with only light tannins, this is not powerful, but it’s very expressive, possessing a lilting quality that is just irresistible. Lovely.