Rhône theme
Timed Online Auction, 30 January - 10 February 2025
Rhône - South Africa
About the SessionOver the past decade South African Rhône-style offerings have witnessed an explosion in popularity, led by the Swartland in the 2010s and subsequently spreading across the Cape.
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, leading to being voted Winemaker of the Year in 2017 by the International Master of Wine Institute and the glamorous Golden Vines Global Rising Star Award three times in a row. 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.
Columella is named after the ancient Roman writer who produced perhaps the earliest good treatise on viticulture in his De re rustica. Starting in 2000, Eben’s goal was to produce the finest expression of the Swartland and today Columella is South Africa’s most coveted red wine.
Provenance
Private Client
Critics Ratings
‘This sports a core of dark plum and blackberry paste flavors, staying polished and refined in feel, relying more on acidity than tannins, with the structure fully enmeshed in the fruit. Black tea, tobacco and alder hints chime through the finish. Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Tinta Barroca, Cinsault and Carignan. Best from 2019 through 2023.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 94/100 (Feb 2018)
'Respected locally & abroad as one of SA’s top reds. 2015 adds tinta barocca to 2014 (93 pts)’s shiraz, mourvèdre, grenache, cinsaut blend; despite the challenge of drought, still exhibits house’s authenticity & lattice-like tannin. Unlike previous, slow to open but builds intensity, complexity. Year each in cask (8% new) & old foudre.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2018, 4.5* (92/100)
'Complete and with a rich start and then lively and fresh. More layers here than is the South African norm. Feels as though it was built from the ground up.' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17.5/20 (Oct 2017)
‘Eight vineyards and five Rhône varieties contribute to this breathtaking cuvée. Bramble, liquorice, red and black fruits, incense, pepper and stony minerality are supported by sinewy tannins, stylish oak and incredible focus. Don’t be in a hurry to drink this wine. 2020-30.’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2017, 97/100
'On the nose, cherries, plums raspberry, blueberry and blackberry, lavender, fynbos, liquorice, white pepper and spice. The palate is dense but not too dense with lemon-like acidity and fine tannins. Nothing exaggerated, all of a piece, it transports you to its place of origin and isn’t that what great wine does?' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 97/100 (Nov 2017)
Greg Sherwood MW, 96+/100 (Dec 2017)
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