2021 Sadie Family Swartland Skerpioen Chenin Blanc Palomino

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.

Other Review....
Eben Sadie describes this isolated, sand dune-covered site as “the vineyard of Mad Max” and I know what he means. Pale and salty, the resulting wine is a brilliant, cool climate, wind-buffeted cuvée of Chenin Blanc and Palomino that has limestone freshness and intensity, kelp, oyster shell and sourdough flavours and volcanic intensity. Drink 2023-2030.
97 points
Tim Atkin MW - South Africa Report 2022

The 2021 Skerpioen is the Chenin Blanc and Palomino blend grown on limestone soils close to the coast that is matured in foudres with 10-11 months on the lees. It has a well-defined bouquet with iodine and saline notes on the nose that is slightly more neutral in style compared to Sadie’s other whites. The palate is very well balanced, again, quite neutral in style, very saline with shades of nutmeg and lemon thyme, a saline tang surfacing towards the persistent finish. Uncompromising...in a positive sense of the word.
93 points
Neal Martin - Vinous