Sadie Family Columella 2012
Vineyards
Swartland, Western Cape
Winemaking and Maturation
Hand sorting each berry for the entire production in small “strawberry” cases. Fermentation in 2000 litre open wooden fermenters. Fermentation is about three weeks at a temperature of 24 °C, followed by maceration after fermentation for another three weeks. Pressing occurs in an old basket press, and the wine is transferred directly to the barrel for malolactic fermentation.
Oaking: French oak barrels, Bordeaux Traditional selection. Tight grain. The wine ages for 18 months on the lees, followed by a rack and an additional six months of ageing on the fine lees. The total time spent is two years.
Tasting Notes
“The 2012 vintage came on the back of an amazing winter with heavy rainfalls and much of our reserves in terms of soil moisture were completely renewed. In our region with zero irrigation it is such an important factor and possibly has one of the biggest effects on the resultant wine.
The growing season was not too extreme, and even when the heat waves set in in early February, there were still enough reserves of water in the subsoil, allowing for a very even ripening. The acidity was retained throughout the ripening season, and the grapes had enough time on the vines for the fruit to ripen properly. The tannins were perfectly ripe at harvesting time, and all of this happened at lower alcohol levels.
The aromatics of the 2012 Columella appear to have a more continental Rhone nature.
This 2012 vintage will be perfectly approachable now till about 2017 and then the wine might lock down in character. The suggestion will be to then age it and it will come around again and blossom from 2028 onwards. It is a character tendency that we have noticed in vintages like 2002 and 2004 in the past. ” – Eben Sadie
Technical Details
Composition: Syrah (76%), Mourvedre (17%), Grenache (7%)
