Sadie Family - Chenin Blanc Mev Kirsten 2022 (750ml)
Price: $210.99
| Producer | Sadie Family |
| Country | South Africa |
| Region | South Africa |
| Varietal | Chenin Blanc |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 203177 |
| Size | 750ml |
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“Nestled at the Stellenbosch end of the Jonkershoek Valley at a comparatively low 220 metres, Mev Kirsten is the oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa, planted in 1905. Located on decomposed sandstone and alluvial granite soils, this has understated power, flavours of honey, pear and orange zest, some skin tannins and supporting acidity.”
96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2023
Sadie Family Description
Eben Sadie is considered one of the great visionaries and preservationists among South African winemakers. He is outspoken about his obsession with terroir and making sure the Swartland region is recognized as a place to make exceptional, authentic and highly coveted wines.
He founded Sadie Family Wines in 1999, after establishing his career in both South Africa and wineries across the world and released his first vintage of Columella in 2000. He was one of the first to focus on creating wines that express their area, or a single vineyard, rather than blending extensively across regions which was unconventional at the time.
This site specificity along with field varietals and older vineyard parcels are the philosophy that drives the production of his two ranges of wines - The Signature Series (Columella and Palladius) and then his Old Vine Series (9 different wines). Columella is a blend of old-vine fruit from eight Swartland vineyards while Palladius is a blend of 11 varieties from 17 different vineyard sites, with old, bush-vine Chenin Blanc driving the cuvée.
The Signature Series wines are the result of a project with renowned viticulturist, Rosa Kruger to discover, revitalise, and in some cases, save old vineyards throughout the Cape. These limited volume wines are produced without any additions and without much manipulation. The reds are mostly fermented whole cluster as that was the pre-1940’s vinification standard. The whites are whole bunch pressed. None of the wines are refined or altered as Eben strives to bottle the most “honest” wines that show their true character and location.
Steen in Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch. A blend of young vines that are harvested first and fermented in 500 liter casks and old vines that harvested two weeks later and fermented in neutral foudre. The old Chenin Blanc, perhaps the oldest in all of South Africa, belongs to Ms Kirsten. Golden Delicious apple, texture, longevity.
Tasting Note: tropical fruit aromas that migrate more to fresh apricot and ripe peaches
and pears. Firm tannins and a grippy acidity uphold these slightly riper and larger sonte fruit aromas. The
wine’s structure and the fruit’s volume are incredibly concentrated without being sweet. Decantation helps
but can never replace the actual effect of time.
Wine Advocate: 97 Points
Full, fresh and lively in the glass, the 2022 Old Vine Series Mev Kirsten bursts with incredible freshness wrapped in finesse and seductive notes of dusty citrus blossoms. Medium-bodied, the mouthfeel offers considerable weight, a delightful nutty essence and a kiss of phenolic bitterness that gradually glides to a soft, leesy expression. The Mev Kirsten has a certain gravitas that weighs on the palate and hangs through the long, lingering, food-friendly finish. It’s mind-bogglingly delicious and has my head spinning for more. Only 4,500 bottles were produced from whole-bunch-pressed, old-vine Chenin Blanc that rested in old foudre. (AM)
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2022 Mev. Kirsten is pure Swartland Chenin Blanc, whole bunch pressed into old foudres. It has a lovely touch of citrus lemon, orange blossom and just a hint of blackcurrant leaf, very mineral-driven with a bit of walnut coming through with aeration. The palate is ripe and the most tropical and exotic of Sadie's wines, with guava and passion fruit notes, lightly spiced with a very persistent finish. Utterly seductive. (NM)
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