What’s so great about Eben Sadie?

He's been called something of a maverick, and is renowned for the price of his wines. There is, however, a unique and inspired philosophy behind Eben Sadie's approach to the Sadie Family Wines. Entirely unpretentious, grapes are foot stomped and the wine left alone to ferment with as little intervention as possible. As he puts it, "when the grapes are of such high quality, then there is nothing bad that could be extracted, and they don't need anything else superimposed on them." One simply needs to step back from the process. But what else is going on behind the wines that have earned themselves such a significant reputation?

Talk of premium price usually implies overtly expensive equipment or some new sophisticated technique, which is not the case here. Besides the obviously charismatic personality of Eben Sadie himself, which is detectable in the final product, it is most likely his reverence and connection to old vines that have resulted in this journey.

The wines are in a category of their own, for they are from carefully selected vines somewhere between 45 to over 100 years old. First and foremost is the blend of tradition and history, literally immersed in the production. With their age factor, the wines do have an Old World quality and finesse. There is something about the raw earthiness of time that adds such a distinctive quality, a result of somebody bothering to appreciate what aged vines can do.

This interest has led to an increasing awareness about the potential of old vines, with a view to encouraging producers not to pull them out because they are so low yielding and replacing them simply to have vines capable of producing higher volumes. The approach Eben Sadie has taken allows people to believe in the heritage value of old vines, and their survival is quite something considering the commercial drive they are up against. Eben comments that the six wines in this latest release are a good mirror image of what South African wine historically has been all about. "Now we have history along with today's understanding," he says.

In the Old Vine Series of 2009, four of the six wines are mostly Chenin Blanc-based, which all display a purity with the effortless integration of minerality, acidity and fruit flavours. Mrs Kirsten 2009 is from a hectare belonging to Mrs Kirsten and her family and is recognised as the oldest Chenin Blanc in the Cape. Pofadder 2009 is from Cinsaut grown in the Swartland region, and was the most challenging to work with. Everything is done by hand, and the resulting wine with its explosion of violets and fruitcake character, also shows particular elegance. Finally Eselshoek 2009 is the dessert wine made from Hanepoot; a further nod to history, as the parcel is also one of the oldest in the Cape, around 110 years of age. The resulting juice was only ten percent of the original volume of grapes. The Old Vine Series retails for R3600 for the box of six wines.

To all wine lovers, a trip out to Riebeek Kasteel to experience and comprehend what is going on behind the wine isn't recommended, it's a must.