Sadie Family Palladius 2014
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Robert
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Wine Spectator
This is packed with white peach, yellow apple and mirabelle plum flavors, while fennel, melon rind and salted butter notes streak underneath. The long finish shows blanched almond and quinine details, imparting weight, with a piercing echo at the very end.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Palladius, which was matured in 30% foudres that have been eschewed for subsequent vintages, has a refined bouquet with light petrol-like scents infusing the stone fruit aromas (peach skin and nectarine). The palate is medium-bodied with a slight viscous entry, the acidity very well pitched with a generous, caressing, lightly honeyed finish. Enjoy this over the next 4-5 years.
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The Sadie's two wines, Columella and Palladius, originate in the soils in the Swartland region, which stretches north of Cape Town between Durbanville and Piketberg, inland from the Atlantic Ocean, and centered on the town of Malmesbury. Importantly, the area has a remarkably stable climate, allowing a consistent level of quality each year, in subtly different vintage conditions.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Literally meaning "the black land," Swartland takes its name from the endangered, indigenous "renosterbos" (translating to rhino bush), which used to be plentiful enough to turn the entire landscape a dark color certain during times of year. The district, attracting some of the most adventurous and least interventionist winemakers, excels in robust and full-bodied reds as well as quality fortified wines.