2023 Sadie Family Swartland Columella

98 POINTS

Claire Nesbitt - JamesSuckling.com

Black cherries, fresh plums, sandalwood, peach pits, sage and cloves on the nose of this deliciously polished and complex red. It’s medium- to full-bodied, intense yet full of finesse and elegance, with firm and very fine-grained tannins. Long, continuous and delicious, with a beautiful interplay of fruit and spice. I love this wine. Syrah, mourvedre, grenache, carignan, cinsault, tinta barocca and pinotage. Drinkable already but better after a couple of years.

97 POINTS

Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Sadie Family 2023 Swartland Columella is fresh yet densely concentrated, offering layered dark fruit, savory spice and impressive volume across a beautifully fleshed-out mid-palate. Drawn from multiple Swartland sites across Paardeberg, Kasteelberg, Malmesbury and Piketberg, the wine blends Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and Tinta Barroca aged over 24 months into a seamless regional expression. The complex mix of schist, granite, limestone, alluvial clay and sandstone underscores Columella’s identity as a true Swartland benchmark. Despite the challenges of cloudy weather, vintner Eben Sadie says 2023 is one of his most satisfying vintages.