Skerpioen 2018 - 2021

Provenance

Brice & Burnett Private Wine Client

Critics Ratings

2018:
'Now that I've visited the vineyard, I admire this wine even more, such is the heroism required to grow grapes in such an isolated site. Combining Chenin Blanc and Palomino grown on sand a limestone soils, it's pale, fragrant, yeasty and salty with notes of kelp, quince and citrus and some stony, struck-match reduction. 2019-28' - Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2019, 97/100

'The 2018 Skerpioen, a field blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino, has a detailed bouquet of pressed white flowers, honeysuckle and dried apricot aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is taut and fresh, and the saline finish remains tight and linear, perhaps just tapering a little earlier than I might have liked. Otherwise, this is very fine.' - Neal Martin, Vinous, 91/100 (Oct 2019)

'Fresh and zippy, the 2018 Old Vine Series Skerpioen opens with citrus and in a shy way. The palate moves more citrus-driven with a soft salinity that is very pleasing on the mid-palate, showing a focused and clean expression with a mineral backbone that I find in the range of Sadie Family wines. The finish is pure and structured and begs for fresh seafood and shellfish. Medium-bodied with lively acidity, this is serious wine made from a blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino that is simply delicious! Stellar!' - Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate, 92+/100 (Oct 2019)

'From a Swartland field blend of Chenin Blanc and Palamino. Aromatics of lime and green apple with a herbal note in the background. Lean and linear with super-fresh acidity and a long, pithy finish. An arresting wine with great energy.' - Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 93/100 (Jul 2019)

2019:
"Skerpioen is quite a place: a wind-swept, seashore vineyard with sand and limestone soils that makes one of the Cape's most distinctive whites. Produced from co-planted Chenin and Palomino, it's wonderfully yeasty, pithy and saline with mouth-watering freshness and notes of kelp and fresh bread." - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2020, 96/100 (Sep 2020)

2020:
'The 2020 Old Vine Series Skerpioen walks the fine line of mineral and citrus, possessing a kiss of sea spray before notions of wax melon, yellow apple skin and sweet Meyer lemon sway on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate, a slight tinge of fresh herbs makes way for mouthwatering succulent acidity, followed by a kiss of phenolic bitterness and a soft leesy quality over the persistent, almost salty finish. I really enjoy the action on the palate. It's utterly mesmerizing. Bravo!' - Anthony Mueller, Wine Advocate, 95/100 (Jun 2022)

'Accessible young, as it tends to be, but also capable of ageing well in bottle, this is a coastal, 50/50 blend of Chenin Blanc and Palomino grown on highly unusual sand and limestone soils. Aromas of citrus and almonds lead into a palate that is engagingly fresh, briney and salty, finishing with a pithy tang. 2022-30' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2021, 96/100

2021:
'Deep gold. Rich and obviously oaked but with such tension yet undertow. Nutty – almonds – and so much going on!' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Aug 2023)

'Eben Sadie describes this isolated, sand dune-covered site as "the vineyard of Mad Max" and I know what he means. Pale and salty, the resulting wine is a brilliant, cool climate, wind-buffeted cuvée of Chenin Blanc and Palomino that has limestone freshness and intensity, kelp, oyster shell and sourdough flavours and volcanic intensity. 2023-30'. - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2022, 97/100