Winemaker Notes
The 2024 Kokerboom displays the typical waxy, lanolin characters often associated with Semillon, but this year, the aromatics also have a gingery, spicy aspect, with some tropical granadilla undertones. On the mouth, the tannins and phenolics seem to be some of the most refined and elegant we have tasted from this vineyard. Overall, it is a very fresh version of this vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with Semillion Blanc and Gris, The Sadie Family 2024 Citrusdal Mountain Die Distriksreeks Kokerboom is richly textured yet strikingly fresh, offering waxy lanolin and beeswax with honeyed depth over a multidimensional core. "Properly ripe rather than green," as proprietor Eben Sadie proclaims, the wine shows the distinctive complexity and subtle saffron-like nuances that has made this rare old-vine Semillon so coveted among serious collectors. Sourced from ancient vines rooted in quartzitic sandstone in the remote Citrusdal Mountain ward, the wine reflects the extreme site and the historical decline of old Semillon plantings in South Africa.
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, enticing white, with fine china–like acidity enmeshed with flavors of papaya, tangerine and melon fruit, plus zesty accents of milled white pepper and grapefruit pith. Minerally flint and stone notes emerge on the finish, joining a pretty overtone of white blossoms and lemon oil. Sémillon.
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Vinous
The 2024 Kokerboom is a blend of Sémillon Blanc and Gris. Mellow on the nose, this is the most timid of Sadie's '24s at the moment, with very light wet wool and earthy aromas. The palate is very spicy on the entry, with a touch of ginger, linear and minimalist for Sémillon, with a bright, sapid, slightly fiery finish. Very fine.
Sémillon has the power to create wines with considerable structure, depth and length that will improve for several decades. It is the perfect partner to the vivdly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon especially shines in the Bordeaux region of Sauternes, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Somm Secret—Sémillon was so common in South Africa in the 1820s, covering 93% of the country’s vineyard area, it was simply referred to as Wyndruif, or “wine grape.”
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.