2022 Sadie Family Swartland Rotsbank Chenin Blanc

Rotsbank is Sadie’s first release of a new vineyard in over a decade. Having coveted the site for fourteen years, Eben finally got his hands on these 40-year-old vines in 2021. It is located in the Paardeberg and planted on a very shallow rock shelf, “Rotsbank”, which leads to minimal growth for the vines as the topsoil is exceptionally shallow. The reserves are always minimal, and the general shoot length and bunch sizes are much smaller than in the surrounding Chenin vineyards.

Other Reviews....
New this year, the 2022 Old Vine Series Rotsbank made from Chenin Blanc offers a saline nose with ripe and nutty citrus blossom essences. Rotsbank, meaning “rock shelf” or “rock bench,” comes from a vineyard with very shallow soil. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is incredibly fresh with layers of complexity and is intensely cerebral. It will notably be an outlier of the Chenin Blanc range, offering the most mineral tension and expressive mouthfeel before it concludes with an almost neverending finish. Just under 7,000 bottles were filled. Keep an eye out for this beauty! Drink 2023 - 2042.
97 points
Anthony Mueller - Wine Advocate (Dec 30, 2023)

The 2022 Rotsbank is pure Chenin Blanc from Swartland that Sadie told me he had waited 14 years to make. The 39-year-old vines grow on a shallow blue granite shelf. It is whole bunch pressed and aged in old foudres. It has a penetrating granitic nose, a touch of Crustacea, and is very well-defined with a hint of green olive. The palate is supremely well-balanced, taut and vibrant, with real depth and a tingle of white pepper on the finish. This is a brilliant new addition to Sadie's Old Vine Series. Drink 2025-2048.
96 points
Neal Martin - Vinous

Now this is a stunningly complex and lively chenin blanc. So aromatically complex, with aromas of lemons, white miso, chamomile, fresh apricots, crushed rock and flint stone. So powerful yet elegant, medium- to full-bodied, with such length and continuation that it lasts for minutes. Salty towards the end. From bush vines planted in 1987. Fantastic already, but even better from 2025.
97 points
James Suckling