2013 Vintage
Timed Online Auction, 6 - 13 March 2023
2013 Vintage theme
About the SessionJust how well do modern-era South African wines perform as they get older ? One of the most important measures of great wine is that it should be age-worthy, that is it should become more pleasurable and more interesting to drink with time in the bottle.
To view the WineMag.co.za 10-Year-Old-Report 2023 please visit. https://winemag.co.za/wine/best/10-year-old
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About this Item
Eben Sadie is South Africa’s most revered winemaker and he arguably kick-started the local fine wine revolution. Over two decades his pursuit for quality in the Swartland has been unparalleled in South Africa and he was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2017 by the International Master of Wine Institute. Eben’s wines were influenced by the Rhône and Spain, with traditional local varieties sourced from pockets of old bush vines and unique terroirs. Long-ageing Columella is often regarded as South Africa’s best red, while Palladius similarly offers an incredible Swartland expression and decades of longevity. The old vine single vineyard series, which was first released in the 2009 vintage, is now firmly the most sought-after release of the year. Mev Kirsten is South Africa’s rarest white wine, produced from a century old Stellenbosch vineyard, while the now legendary Skurfberg received 100 points from Tim Atkin in 2020.
The name means The Footpath in Dutch, and comes from the name of Dirk Brand’s wheat and rooibos tea farm, where the rustic block of old vines is tucked away. This is surely the most isolated old vineyard in the country, presumably originally planted to supply the farmer and his neighbours.
Provenance
Wine Cellar Private Client
Critics Ratings
‘Field blend Chenin, Semillon, and Palomino, with splash Muscat d’Alexandrie from isolated century-old vineyard. Charmingly rich and voluptuous 2013 boasts expressive ripe red apple flavours underpinned by remarkable minerality and soft citrus twist.’ – Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2015, 4.5*
'A co-fermented blend of Chenin, Semillon (both Blanc and Gris), Muscat and Palomino, of all things, this comes from a vineyard that’s more than 100 years old. Softer and riper than some of Sadie’s wines, with flavours of stone fruit, melon and grape sweetness underpinned by acidity.’ – Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2014, 96/100
‘Tasted blind. Greenish straw. Herbal and understated. Comes billowing up aromatically. Much wilder than most of these wines but with a great panoply of feral, often floral, aromas. Bright and tense on the palate with the promise of long development ahead. The Chenin is discernible along with some mildly bitter herbs. A great tensile blend without any flab. No simple sweet grapiness as a result of the Muscat of Alexandria. Builds on the finish. Marked acidity and energy. Could only be South African!’ – Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Sept 2015)