2018 Sadie Family Citrusdal Mountain Skurfberg Chenin Blanc

This wine blends Chenin Blanc from old bushvine parcels on three farms on the slopes of the Skurfberg ("rugged mountains") between Clanwilliam and Lamberts Bay in the Olifants River Region. They are immaculately farmed properties, which have not been subjected to herbicide or chemical fertilizers by the current farmers. Most of the soils in the area are of decomposed sandstone, and very sandy. Rainfall is low - these vines have had to be tough to survive without irrigation. Together these three low yielding parcels represent the possibilities of the area, each offering something unique to the complexity of the whole. The one site has huge and aromatic fruit concentration; the second offers an earthy character and minerality, and the third (the highest, and closest to the Atlantic) retains amazing acidity and freshness. The three parcels of fruit were vinified separately. They were basket-pressed and then transferred directly to old casks where natural fermentation took place. They were blended after 12 months, and then left to age another six months before bottling.

Other Reviews....
The sources of Eben Sadie's amazing West Coast Chenin Blanc have been reduced from three to two in 2018, leaving him with Basie van Lill and Joshua Visser, which is not a bad team to have. Grown on red, iron-rich decomposed sandstone, this is one of the world's great whites, a bold, yet incredibly focused wine that is sappy, floral and almost ludicrously long on the palate.
98 Points
Tim Atkin MW

The 2018 Skurfberg, Sadie’s Chenin Blanc from Olifantsrivier, has a very neutral, pressed flower bouquet that is much more backward than the other crus. The well-balanced palate presents veins of marmalade and orange peel, wonderful tension and superb precision on the finish. Though backward at the moment, this will certainly repay cellaring.
94 points
Vinous