The Sadie Family - 'Palladius' White 2022
Price: $139.99
| Producer | The Sadie Family |
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| Country | South Africa |
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| Region | Western Cape |
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| Subregion | Swartland |
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| Varietal | White Blend |
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| Vintage | 2022 |
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| Sku | 36181 |
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97 pts Tim Atkin:
Eben Sadie calls Palladius a “complex logarithm” and “the wines I am proudest of”. It’s certainly a sophisticated, layered wine from various Swartland sites, blending Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Semillon Blanc and Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombard, Clairette Blanche and Viognier. It slightly lacks the purity of the single parcel wines, but this is still very impressive, with ageing in concrete and clay amphora, aromas of baking spices, pear, peach and lemon zest and a textured, well-balanced finish. 2025-32
Decanter Magazine: 98 Points
Opens slowly with the fragrance of cool lemony citrus, bergamot and mandarin. There’s an undertone of fresh beeswax and flint. A portrait of the Swartland, with 17 different vineyards making up the components. Eben Sadie believes this vintage is ‘a strong contender for the most restrained’ in the blend’s five year run. The parcels were wild fermented in concrete eggs and amphora. The components ‘take their time’ fermenting, some up to 18 months. Every vineyard is given the same vessel each year, and is therein matured for 12 months, after which another year’s rest in foudres. The palate is radiant with white peach, limes, orchard apples and tangy nectarine, rippled through with a liquid mineral acidity that carries the fruit into a resonant, layered finish.
Vinous: 97 Points
The 2022 Palladius is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Sémillon Blanc, Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombard, Clairette Blanche and Viognier from several sites. Eben Sadie says that this is the wine he has wanted to make. It has a delectable nose with wax resin, linseed oil and hints of orange blossom. The palate is well balanced with a killer line of acidity. Taut, fresh and saline, it possesses immense nervosité on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is even better than the 2021.” #22 Top 100 Wines of the Year 2024.
