The last decade has seen something of a renaissance for South African wine, particularly in London, who were the first to embrace the exciting new wines from this historically important producer. It’s worth remembering that the modern South African wine industry dates back as recently as the mid 90’s, when the first democratic elections were held after a long period of apartheid and political isolation. The industry was transformed, the damaging state controlled co-operatives dissolved and wine found its way into bottles, which slowly found their way to the rest of the world. Since then, the industry has been crackling with new energy, a lot of which has found its way to the Swartland; a warm, dry region that attracted wine-makers with cheap land costs and old, Rhone varieties.

Enter: Eben Sadie. Having worked as a wine-maker for Charles Back’s Spice Route, he set out with his own project in 1999 and has since become South Africa’s most influential wine-maker of the 21st century. He’s spent the last 20 years seeking out old plots of Rhone grape varieties in and around the dusty vineyards of Swartland, many of which were abandoned as they didn’t produce high enough yields to turn a profit. These revitalised vineyards are at the heart of what makes his wines so special; old, dry-farmed vines made into wine with very little intervention from the wine-maker. Over the last two years, I’ve searched out and tried every wine in the Sadie Family collection and nearly all have been superb, the others very good.

After my first real exam of the WSET Diploma, we headed together to Noble Rot Bar in London to celebrate. After some sparkling to get us started, we opted for a young bottle of Eben Sadie’s Pofadder, a 100% Cinsault wine as part of his ‘Old Vine’ series. It was young, tangy and still very firm. I remember thinking that I’d love to try this wine in a few years once it’s opened a little, particularly as finding Cinsault as a varietal wine is a rare occurrence, so imagine my delight when I dug out the last bottle of Pofadder 2012 from Monvinic Store.

Tasting Note

100% Cinsault from Kasteelberg Mountain. Fermented in open wooden vats and then aged for a further year in large, old oak barrels. 13.5% ABV

This wine is my only reference point for varietal Cinsault, but considering its pride-of-place in Provencal rosé, its lovely pale colour makes sense. My, what a gorgeous nose! Ripe cranberries, raspberries, smoke, earth, anis, dried violets and oregano all mingled together in a very Mediterranean style, yet the fruit is precise and delineated. The sort of wine you want to spend a whole day with. Fresh and vibrant on the palate but with softer tannins than I expected and the same lovely red fruits, herbs and subtle smokiness. Spicy, Mediterranean and yet still so elegant. A superb bottle of wine that I suspect will get even more interesting in another 5-10 years! 94Pts

Purchased from Monvinic Store for €37.50