Alheit Vineyards | Sadie Family Wines | Vilafonté

Live Virtual Auction, 10 October 2021

Fine Wine

Sold for

ZAR 34 140
Lot 39
  • Sadie Family; Palladius Vertical; 2002 - 2013; 12 (12 x 1); 750ml


Lot Estimate
ZAR 32 000 - 38 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 34 140

About this Item

Palladius Vertical, 2002 - 2013
12 (12 x 1) 750ml

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.

Palladius is the Sadie family’s signature white wine, a pure expression of the Swartland that is produced from 10 local and Rhône white varieties. Palladius is named after the Roman author who continued Columella’s work and is today one of SA’s most highly regarded white wines.

Critics Ratings

2005 - 'Pioneering Swartland blend, ±40% Viognier, with Chenin, Chardonnay, and Grenache Blanc. ‘05 most elegant yet, still rich and succulent, with mineral and tannic elements, lingering finish. Flourishes of peach/apricot, citrus over earthy bass-notes. Powerful, but big alcohol in satin-textured balance, with 3.7g/l sugar imperceptible in savoury acidity. 18 months French oak, 40% new. Like fine 04, it should mature a few years at least. Unfined and unfiltered.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2007, 4.5*

‘Deeper gold than the 2007. More honeyed though still something cedary. Lanolin and honey and yet still so utterly fresh. Again, there's something Portuguese here (reminds me of Encruzado). Deep and fine grained and complex and long. Great concentration and still so much more to come.’ - Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Oct 2012)

2006 - 'Singular blend, 30% each Viognier and Chenin, with Chardonnay and Grenache Blanc. ‘More structural than flavour sensation’ says Eben Sadie of the ‘06, and what a build! Waves of stonefruit woven into tingling minerality, bone-dry sensation to echoing length. Like previous vintages, it should mature well.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2008, 4.5*

‘Rich but nervy, with a wide range of chamomile, orange blossom, white peach, green almond, salted butter and mineral notes. Really fleshes out with air, but also keeps its bracing edge all the way through.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 92/100 (May 2008)

2007 - 'Breathtaking elevation of Chenin: a singular, wondrous tactile sensation. ‘07 with Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viogier and Chardonnay; stonefruit knitted into tingling minerality. Like ‘06, it is also a stayer. Berry sorting, 18 months French oak. Sheer gravitas…’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2009, 4.5*

‘13 different vineyards – all decomposed granite. Soil specialist Claude Bourguignon says some of the most decomposed in the world! Honeysuckle nose. Green and quite stemmy on the nose, the last vintage that was all made in barrel, 20% new. Very rich and dense and still exciting. So vital and rich without being sweet.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Apr 2014)

2008 -'Pioneer & still benchmark in increasingly populous white blends category. 08 our White Wine of the Yr, & a blending masterclass: 8 varieties (inc palomino, clairette) melded into intricate textured sensation, rich stone fruit tingling with minerality. Stunning successor to 07. 70% older oak, rest concrete ‘eggs’. - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2010, 5*

'A blend of several white varities, 30% fermented in concrete eggs, 70% in old 500 litre barrels. Deep yellow colour. Lovely fresh, intense nutty and lemony notes with some herbiness. Quite complex. A beautiful white wine with lovely freshness, intensity and complexity.’  Jamie Goode, 94/100

2009 - ‘A Cape benchmark, 2009 Chenin-led blend of 6 varieties, unfurls fleshy white stonefruit and  glacé pineapple. Packed with impressive minerality, underpinned by harmonious acidity, subtle oaking. 18 months on lees in 600 and 1800L vats.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2011, 5*

‘Rich, appley. Good fruit on the mid palate. Exciting, dense and long. Toasted nuts and apples on the finish. No oak any more from 2009. Intense and introvert. Like lemon cough sweets but still too young. Smoked meats and spicy. Very angular.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Apr 2014)

‘Fermented in a combination of 500-liter barrels, foudres and cement, the 2009 Palladius is a blend of (deep breath) old Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Verdelho, Clairette and Palomino aged for two years in barrel. It has a crystalline bouquet with scents of dried honey, beeswax, hazelnut, broom and a faint touch of pinecone. The palate is very well balanced with good acidity and precision; notes of walnut, honeysuckle, orange zest and a little spice. It displays impressive persistence in the mouth and you find yourself contemplating this wine long after you have swallowed it, each sip slightly different to the last. Sublime.’ - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 94/100 (Aug 2011)

2010 - The 2010 Palladius is a blend of (takes a deep breath) Chenin, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Semillon Blanc, Semillon Gris, Palomino and Verdelho. This choir of white varieties is aged for 24 months in a combination of old wooden casks, concrete eggs and amphora. It has a very fine bouquet with light pressed flowers, a touch of hazelnut and hints of orange blossom. The palate is where it all happening with crisp acidity, a vivacious white with crisp apricot, orange peel and passion fruit. It is tightly coiled towards the finish, focusing upon precision rather than power. This is a wine that demands respect. Drink now-2019+. – Neal Martin 93/100, Wine Advocate (2012)

Not particularly aromatic, though the sample is very cold. Fine, restrained oak overlay. So classy. There's grapefruit and lemon and it verges towards lime. Beautifully clear cut and fresh, the oak in a purely supportive role but adding a mealy facet to the texture. Very very young but already so delicious. – Julia Harding MW18/20, JancisRobinson.com (2012)

Bold, broad and creamy, featuring ginger, warm brioche, persimmon and creamed peach flavors, with toasted hazelnut notes embedded in the core and lingering through the finish. Exhibits noteworthy balance and definition. Drink now through 2015. 750 cases made. – Wine Spectator 93/100 (2013)

2011 - 'Unfined and unfiltered, 24 months on lees, half in older barrels. Chenin Blanc-led 9-part blend, mainly Rhône whites, 2011 is complex. A symphony of notes, major and minor, ending satisfyingly long. Take your time, it’s worth it.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2014, 5*

‘Engaging, with green plum and green almond notes up front,quickly followed by enticing pear, meringue and makrut lime flavors. Picks up a light toasty shortbread accent through the finish, giving this a flattering edge. Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Sémillon and Palomino.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 93/100 (Jun 2014)

‘Pale gold. Blend of 10 different grape varieties! Sweet start and then some Chenin tension. Lots of youthful fruit to get your teeth into here even though the wine is four years old. Some reductive smokiness. Good and racy. Very complex and lifted blend of flowers and herbs – very quintessential Cape. Super-tangy with some bitterness. Probably not yet at its peak.’ - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17/20 (Sept 2015)

2012 - ‘Astonishingly layered, complex and harmonious 2012 blends 8 varieties, led by Chenin and Roussanne, skilfully matured for 2 years on lees in concrete ‘eggs’, older casks and barrels. Intense flavours, lemon, herbs, even some florality and white pepper spice, all sewn together by pithy mineral thread.’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2015, 5*

‘Made with ten grapes from 13 parcels, this Chenin-meets-the-Rhône-Valley white is mostly grown on granite soils. Honey, pear skin and subtle oak flavours are complemented by some skin tannins, leesy texture and a long, refreshing finish. The move away from Viognier (now down to 3%) from a high of 30%)) has benefited the blend. Drink: 2014-22.’ - Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2014, 95/100

‘Intense, with ripe, lush layers of creamed Jonagold apple, Cavaillon melon and glazed peach fruit, enlivened by dried chamomile, quinine and bitter citrus oil notes. The long finish flows beautifully, with the fruit and floral elements draped over a well-embedded mineral edge. This has depth and energy, and should cellar well. Drink now through 2022. 750 cases made.’ - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 94/100 (Feb 2015)

2013 - 'Honeyed, creamy nose that gives the impression of satin-smooth texture somehow. A totally flattering and intriguing wine that is clean as a whistle and would stand up to any fine white wine. – Jancis Robinson 18.5/20 (2015)

 30% Chenin Blanc plus nine other varieties in almost equal parts; done mostly in concrete and clay amphoras, with 10% made in big wooden demi-muids: Bright, light yellow. Outstanding aromatic purity and nuance to the pungent aromas of orange blossom, minerals, clove and mint. Highly concentrated yellow fruit flavors are perfectly framed and carried by harmonious ripe acidity. This wonderfully silky white blend really expands to fill the mouth, without any loss of precision. Finishes with great rising length. Sadie whole-bunch-presses this wine on a four-hour cycle, noting that it has more tannins than all of his reds with the exception of Columella. But the wine's phenolic character is well-supported by sheer stuffing and extract.’ – Stephen Tanzer 95/100, Vinous.com (2015)

Gains heft from loads of quince, nectarine, pear and ginger flavors, but the spine shows excellent minerality, with a long, stony feel through the finish. Hints of quinine, verbena and chamomile add even more range. A pristine display. Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Sémillon Gris, Sémillon and Palomino. Drink now through 2022. 583 cases made.’ – Wine Spectator 94/100 (2016)

Provenance

Producer

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