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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.
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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.