2022 BB&R Swartland White by The Sadie Family Wines

I bought the very first vintage of Eben Sadie’s Columella the 2000) from UK wine supremos Richards Walford, and we made a lot of fuss about this era-changing South African red wine on the wine list at Bibendum Restaurant. This led to a meeting with its creator, and it gave me a stunning insight into Eben’s mercurial mind. This was truly privileged access to a period that many believe set the scene for the top-end of the modern South African wine industry. The similarities between Aimé Guibert and Eben Sadie are countless, as are the differences, but either way, they have both had a profound impact on my palate and the second I tasted this incredible white blend an overwhelming sense of nostalgia coupled with wonderful, twenty-year-old flashbacks starting fireworks in my brain. Made from a ridiculously complex blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Palomino, Vermentino, Assyrtiko, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grillo, Cinsault Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Piquepoul Blanc and Colombard, in the absence of Mas de Daumas white, this wine is the filmic negative of my star red wine, and yes, it is also brain-busting value for money! My tasting note reads, ‘Elite St-Joseph Blanc careens into an old vine-soaked Cape white blend, resulting in a mesmerising amalgam of honeysuckle, stone fruit, invigorating pith and zesty bitterness.’ And that is not even the half of it. This is another unmissable wine. Drink 2024 - 2027

Berry Bros joined forces with stellar South African winemaker Eben Sadie last year to produce its own-label Swartland red and white. This second white vintage is astonishing value for money. A complex blend of 13 varieties—including Chenin Blanc, Palomino, Assyrtiko, Roussanne, and Grillo—it delivers a terrific presence on the textured palate. Elegant and layered with notes of chamomile, fresh apple, stone fruit, and lemon pith, all underpinned by a stony minerality with such purity and energy, it is a complete show-stopper of a wine. Drink 2024 - 2027