Wine Advisor
Sadie Family, Palladius 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Anthony Mueller
The 2018 Palladius is pale gold in color with an impressive meniscus that clings to the glass. The nose is youthful with a significant underlying mineral essence beneath aromas of waxy citrus blossom, Meyer lemon pith, raw honeycomb, wax melon and yellow apple skin. Medium-bodied, the 13.5% alcohol wine is majestic on the palate, displaying a tightly wound mineral tension, a waxy and textural mouthfeel and a kiss of phenolic bitterness to make this absolutely food-friendly and age-worthy. The wine continues to unfold and evolve on the palate, offering complex terroir expressions. Concluding with a long, drawn-out and persistent finish, flavors of dusty citrus linger for more than a minute. There’s no wonder why these wines are so highly allocated and sought after. I just had a daydream about how tertiary and nutty this bottle will be in 15 years. Simply stunning! Wow.
About the Producer
Eben Sadie, founder of The Sadie Family, is a winemaker. In 1999, he founded the winery. At that time, the winery had only three staff members, in addition to Aben Setie, his brother and sister. In 2000 he made his first red wine Columella and white wine Palladius, both of which received widespread acclaim, and he became South Africa's hottest young winemaker. Seti Family Winery is located near Cape Town, and its wines maintain a consistent quality every year. The winery has only 7 hectares of vineyards, and the soil is divided into 3 types, namely slate, granite and a mixture of sandstone, slate and clay. The grape varieties grown in the vineyard are very diverse. The winery uses biodynamic farming methods, and the grape yield is very low, with an average of only 1.2 pounds of grapes per vine. Meanwhile, the winery uses seaweed sprays to control pests. When the grapes are harvested, the winery will harvest the grapes manually, and after the grapes are sorted, they are fermented in oak barrels. It is worth mentioning that the winery does not use a pump to age the wine in oak barrels, but through natural gravity. The flagship wine of the Cetti family winery is Columella, which takes its name from an early Roman author who wrote monographs on viticulture and winemaking. It was the author's efforts that allowed many grapes to be grown in the French Rhone Valley, including Syrah. Columeira is a blend of Syrah and Mourvedre grapes from 8 different vineyards. The wine is fermented with natural yeast in 2,500-liter wooden barrels for 3 to 4 weeks at a temperature of 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. After fermentation, the wine is aged in oak barrels for 24 months, with barrel changes every 6 months.
