2019 Sadie Family Swartland Pofadder Cinsault

The Sadie Family team work with roughly 30-hectares of vines, one-third of which are estate, with the other vines farmed entirely under their control. This is a considerable undertaking when you consider, at their furthest point, the vineyards lie some 250 miles apart and are spread across 53 separate parcels. Then consider that everything is dry grown and organically farmed and that each parcel, having different geologies, aspects and often grape varieties, will require different management. These vines lie mostly on the high altitude slopes of Swartland’s Atlantic-influenced mountains, one hour north of Cape Town on the Western Cape.

In the 1920’s Cinsault was the most planted black grape in South Africa. However, as one of the fickler varieties to work with, it suffered a fall from grace post WW2. 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. The results are revelatory. This is a variety that is being planted more and more by some top growers in the south of France. Wines like this show you why.

Pofadder is a pure Cinsault, cropped from a parcel on the Kasteelberg Mountain (west of Malmesbury) planted in 1973. Here the soils are composed of slate and decomposed shale. Pofadder is Afrikaans for a puff adder—a type of snake that is known in these parts—and indeed, a puff adder claimed the life of a vineyard worker in the 1940s: hence the name.

Sadie is a champion for old vine Cinsault on the cape, but he concedes that this is the vineyard, and the wine, which needs the most care. Controlling yields, sorting bunches and berries and then protection from oxidation in the cellar are all vital. Eighty percent whole bunches were placed in an old wooden, open-top fermenter, with one or two gentle foot stomps each day to release enough juice to keep the fermentation ticking over. After a month on skins the grapes were then transferred to a tiny basket-press and pressed directly to an old wooden cask for aging. The resulting wine is a gloriously textured yet vibrant ode to both variety and region.

Other Reviews....
The 2019 Pofadder contains 80% whole-cluster Cinsault matured in used foudre. It has an extremely well-defined bouquet of pine cones and mint-infused red fruit. The palate is well balanced with good grip on the entry, a mixture of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit leading to an herbal finish that just needs a little more grip and density. Still, this is an excellent OVS from Sadie, though I would not put it at the top of the pile this year.
92 points
Neal Martin - Vinous

Picked slightly riper than usual in 2019, Pofadder also benefited from a decent crop compared with some of the Old Vine Series parcels. Plusher and darker than the 2018 was at this stage, with more grip and flavours of bramble and black cherry, this is a serious, sinewy Cinsault with a nip of tannins. "A small dog that bites you," says Eben Sadie.
94 points
Tim Atkin MW - South Africa Special Report 2020