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Swartland. First released in 2000, Columella is Sadie’s most famous wine. While it’s regularly described as an icon of Swartland (and indeed South Africa), Eben Sadie’s goal is simply to produce the finest, most honest expression he can from Swartland as a whole. As such, the blend includes six of the seven official red grapes that grow in the region. The 2023 is 38% Syrah, with the remainder a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Tinta Barocca, Cinsault and a little Pinotage. Eben notes that the incremental growth of Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault and Tinta Barocca in the final blend has contributed to the depth and complexity of tannins, and that it displays more fruit purity.
Eben also wants to capture as many Swartland soils and climates as possible. This year, the grapes came from seven soil types (including granite, slate, gravel and sandstone) across 11 separate vineyards in Paardeberg, Kasteelberg, Malmesbury and Piquetberg. Most are low-yielding, old-vine parcels, although some of the Estate’s younger material also play a part. Many of the Syrah vines have been trained to their stake (échalas style, per Northern Rhône).
Most of the fruit was destemmed, although an increasing percentage of bunches are used each year. Sadie has a sorting team of 25 who discard 8 to 15% of the fruit each year. The grapes went into a huge open fermenter for an average of three weeks on skins before being basket-pressed into primarily old French oak barrels (less than 10% new). After a year on lees, the wine was racked into seasoned oval casks (foudres) for further maturation on the fine lees. The wine was then bottled without fining or filtration.
Columella is a more powerful, complex wine than those in the District Series, with unforced intensity and a corresponding increase in texture and ripeness. We recommend decanting, and Sadie suggests a minimum of eight years in the cellar before opening. Good luck with that! Bottled with just 13.5% alcohol, it has the finesse, sappiness and vibrancy of great Burgundy (from a powerful year) and the depth and structure to live for decades. According to its maker, the 2023 is textbook Columella (with all this entails). More than ever, here we have one of the new world's greatest blended red wines.