Sadie Family, Palladius Swartland 2022

98 points Decanter
"Opens slowly with the fragrance of cool lemony citrus, bergamot and mandarin. There’s an undertone of fresh beeswax and flint. A portrait of the Swartland, with 17 different vineyards making up the components. Eben Sadie believes this vintage is ‘a strong contender for the most restrained’ in the blend’s five year run. The parcels were wild fermented in concrete eggs and amphora. The components ‘take their time’ fermenting, some up to 18 months. Every vineyard is given the same vessel each year, and is therein matured for 12 months, after which another year’s rest in foudres. The palate is radiant with white peach, limes, orchard apples and tangy nectarine, rippled through with a liquid mineral acidity that carries the fruit into a resonant, layered finish."

97 points Vinous
"The 2022 Palladius is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Sémillon Blanc &amp; Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombard, Clairette Blanche and Viognier from several sites. Eben Sadie says that this is the wine he has wanted to make. It has a delectable nose with wax resin, linseed oil and hints of orange blossom. The palate is well balanced with a killer line of acidity. Taut, fresh and saline, it possesses immense <em>nervosité</em> on the finish that lingers in the mouth. This is even better than the 2021."
#22 Top 100 Wines of the Year 2024

Vinous Reverie Notes
The distinction of The Palladius wine derives from its terroir, the character of the vintage, and a restrained winemaking programme. The vineyards for the Palladius wine essentially are five different vineyards situated in the Paardeberg Mountain and the main differences being the grape variety planted to each site and its exposure to the sun, as well as all the processes involved in the vitucultural year. The standard viticulture is bush vines pruned and suckered to about 12 hoots per plant. All are situated on sloping land. No artificial irrigation is used: natural rainfall is a vital aspect of the vintage character that we want to have emerged in the wine. While irrigation can sometimes be useful in extreme situations – particularly when establishing a new vineyard - it too often leads to over-vigorous growth and diluted grapes. We prefer to respond to different vintage conditions in ways other than irrigating – by, for example, thinning the crop more in a particularly dry year. Our yields are always extremely small, usually averaging about 10 - 18 hectolitres per hectare. The Palladius wine’s complexity is resulting from the blending of wines of different sites, with each parcel vinified separately according to its own demands. We aim to build, over time, an even more diverse portfolio of soils, aspects and meso-climates. Tasting Notes: It reveals aromas of green apple and citrus flint, followed by stone fruit notes. The wine is balanced on the palate, with firm tannins complemented by lively acidity, and a lingering aftertaste.