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Tasting notes
Pickled cherry, lavender and ume. Light color, belied by fruit intensity, with a slither of tannic pucker meandering from fore to a long finish. Ethereal, with wonderful reach across the mouth. Reminiscent of Spanish Gredos or lighter Priorat; the stylistic inspiration is very clear. Superb! Drink or hold. Alkina Grenache Assembly tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Lighter in color this year, the 2021 Old Vine Series Soldaat is brilliant with a fleshy, ripe, crunchy red fruit essence that sways with an aroma of dusty cherry blossom. Medium-bodied and with 13% alcohol, the palate is fresh yet possesses a nervous energy that uncoils as the wine sits on the palate before revealing a delightful tannic grip. The Grenache concludes with a fine, floral finish and will need additional time in the bottle to come together but will drink fantastically over the next 12- 14 years. Just give it some time, and your patience will be rewarded.
The 2021 Soldaat, which includes 40% whole cluster, is markedly pale in colour, yet Sadie mentioned this wine actually contains a lot of tannin. It has a beguiling, very distinctive red cherry and redcurrant nose, a noticeable reduction (Sadie also mentioned that this Soldaat had been bottled with a lot of carbonic gas). The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, very transparent with a touch of sage and white pepper. Vibrant and poised on the brittle finish, it delivers quite a stony aftertaste. Startling purity here - magnificent.
About the producer
Since he started making wine under his own name in 2000, Eben Sadie became a cult name in South Africa. The Swartland producer is best known for his flagship Columella and Palladius, but he also makes a range of whites and reds under the Old Vine Series, which became the District Series in 2025.