2010 Palladius

Bright yellow. Bright citrus and white peach fruit aromas are complicated by toffee, fig, honey, lichee, spring flowers and smoky minerality. Concentrated, tactile and deep but still a bit youthfully unyielding, showing considerable soil complexity and hints of smoke, oatmeal and spices to the fresh apricot fruit. Nut lush but chewy and dusty, with some CO2 yet to be absorbed. Finishes quite ripe but with a hint of youthful bitterness. Fascinating flavors here, and still unwinding.

The 2010 Palladius is a blend of (takes a deep breath) Chenin, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Semillon Blanc, Semillon Gris, Palomino and Verdelho. This choir of white varieties is aged for 24 months in a combination of old wooden casks, concrete eggs and amphora. It has a very fine bouquet with light pressed flowers, a touch of hazelnut and hints of orange blossom. The palate is where it all happening with crisp acidity, a vivacious white with crisp apricot, orange peel and passion fruit. It is tightly coiled towards the finish, focusing upon precision rather than power. This is a wine that demands respect. Drink now-2019+ You gotta love the eminence gris, the “Gandalf” of Swartland winemakers, Eben Sadie. Curiously, when I sat down with him at the Cape Show it was the first time we had met. He assured me that his samples had been safely despatched for my attention – the only problem being that he had sent them to the wrong side of the Atlantic. C’est la vie. Eben told me that he is withdrawing from his venture in Priorat so that he can focus entirely upon South Africa and that can only be a good thing for the country’s wine industry. Eben is a man full of principles and ideals that he is unafraid to see carried out in his wines, which in my opinion are aligning closer to his vision of what they should be with every vintage. Now let us move on to Eben’s Old Vine Series of wines. Let me make it clear that these very limited bottlings are as much an intellectual exercise as a sensory one. If you are seeking wines that mean something – then you should learn about them first, understand where Eben is coming from and then appreciate them for what they represent as much as how they taste. So my scores are in some ways irrelevant here. I just urge readers to understand them, try one out, make up their own mind, drop me a line and tell me what you think. And because they are so individual and I have only tasted the once or twice, I have refrained from drinking windows, but suggest that for the most part while they can be enjoyed young, they are also well worth cellaring. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 931-1725 and Fields, Morris & Verdin in the UK

Not particularly aromatic, though the sample is very cold. Fine, restrained oak overlay. So classy. There's grapefruit and lemon and it verges towards lime. Beautifully clear cut and fresh, the oak in a purely supportive role but adding a mealy facet to the texture. Very very young but already so delicious. (JH)