Sadie Family Palladius 2023
Sadie Family Palladius 2023
Drink Date: 2027 - 2045
The Sadie Family 2023 Swartland Palladius shows remarkable equilibrium, with layered richness held in check by compact structure and quiet, under-the-surface intensity. It represents a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Gris, Semillon Blanc, Palomino, Colombard, Grillo, Assyrtiko, Grenache Blanc and Verdelho. The addition of limestone-influenced parcels in recent years has tightened the wine’s profile, trimming excess breadth and enhancing linear precision. Drawn from 24 vineyards across Paardeberg, Piketberg and the St. Helena Bay zone and aged in amphora, concrete and old foudre, Palladius stands as Eben Sadie’s flagship white built expressly for long-term aging. His favorite vintages are 1997, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Eben Sadie has repositioned The Sadie Family’s former “Old Vine Series” under the new "Die Distriksreeks" (The District Series), shifting the focus from vine age to a clearer expression of place and viticulture. While the historic old vineyards remain central, Eben Sadie has increasingly emphasized farming precision and site identity over cellar technique. The evolving range—now including two new bottlings, the Twiswind white and Sonvang red—reflects his long-term ambition to formulate an "African" wine aesthetic. Published: Feb 26, 2026
95 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2028 - 2050
For the first time, the Palladius includes 20% of fruit from limestone soils on the west coast, which Sadie feels made the wine leaner and more minerally. "It was the thing that was missing," he remarked. There are now 14 varieties in this blend. The 2023 offers pressed yellow flowers and light walnut and hazelnut scents in the background. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed texture on the entry. Wonderful depth, edgy, a little more acidity than the '22, with a long, quite saline finish. Give this three or four years in bottle if you can.- By Neal Martin, August 2025
Our Notes: Drawn from 17 vineyards across the Swartland, Palladius is a white blend of remarkable scope and refinement. The 2023 vintage includes Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon Blanc, Semillon Gris, Palomino, Colombard, Grillo, and Assyrtiko fermented in amphora, concrete, and old foudre over two years. Bright and saline, it opens with lime zest and green apple, with a crystalline line of acidity and fine tannins. Complex, composed, and lifted, this is Palladius at its most precise.
Producer notes: In recent years, we have focused heavily on developing Palladius, our regional white wine. The main objectives were to be more finite regarding vineyard composition and site-specific management of every vineyard that makes up this complex wine and to build greater refinement in the wine’s two-year ageing in amphora, concrete, and casks. This year, during our annual review of all the wines, it was the clear standout wine in the tasting, and we finally felt like we were getting there. It is the most complex wine to grow, with many vineyards and variables during vinification and ageing. We are still learning a great deal. It is very easy to latch onto and identify with a specific single vineyard. In contrast, Palladius posts such a myriad of dynamics that it is often intimidating, even to those of us who live daily with this wine.
