2019 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen Chenin Blanc Palomino

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.

Named after the abundant native scorpions that make their home here, Skerpioen is an unirrigated, 2.4-hectare, 80-plus-year-old vineyard of half Palomino and half Chenin Blanc, just 2km from the Atlantic Ocean and overlooking the Elands Bay. The soils here are very sandy and chalky, a type that Sadie likens to the white albarizas of Andalucía (fitting then that the vines here are 50% Palomino). This is one of the coolest parts of the Swartland yet it’s also a very dry location (with an average rainfall of only around 300mm per year). This naturally restricts the yields and concentrates the fruit, magnifying the vineyards’ characteristic saline intensity. This parcel produces a tiny yield of 24 hl/ha on average. The grapes are picked and pressed together and naturally co-ferment in old wooden casks. The result is a stunning and complex white that is completely unique. As always, this is Sadie’s most mineral, racy and low alcohol white (12.5%).

Other Reviews....
The 2019 Skerpioen has a well-defined bouquet of pine cones, lanolin and wild fennel aromas that gains intensity with air. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, full of energy and vigor, and slightly waxy in texture. Chamomile and touches of Turkish delight appear on the finish. Stand back and watch this blossom in the glass.
93 points
Neal Martin - Vinous

Skerpioen is quite a place: a wind-swept, seashore vineyard with sand and limestone soils that makes one of the Cape’s most distinctive whites. Produced from co-planted Chenin and Palomino, it's wonderfully yeasty, pithy and saline with mouth-watering freshness and notes of kelp and fresh bread.
96 points
Tim Atkin MW - South Africa Special Report 2020