Sadie Family Swartland Rotsbank 2023 750ml

Swartland. Having coveted the site for a decade and a half, Eben finally got his hands on these 40-year-old vines in 2021. “We have always maintained that we would only bottle a Swartland Chenin if it could be from this vineyard,” Eben tells us. “It might have been a long 14 years of waiting to get our hands on this vineyard, but it was simply worth it in every respect.”

It is located in the Paardeberg and planted on a very shallow rock shelf, “Rotsbank”. This leads to minimal vine growth as the topsoil is exceptionally shallow. The reserves are always scant, and the general shoot length and bunch sizes are much smaller than in the surrounding Chenin vineyards. These early releases are clearly special, yet Eben believes there is more to come, noting: “We have spent much time and capital over the past three seasons to elevate this vineyard to the highest level, and within a year or two, we expect an even greater response from the soils.” 

Cropped at 32 hl/ha and bottled at just over 13%, the new release is a frighteningly good essay in tension. The wine’s substantial acidity and mouthcoating dry finish suggest it will only benefit from the time in the bottle. It is one of the most linear expressions of the year. “It is a blue steel Chenin,” quips Sadie.