PALLADIUS White Blend 2024: Chenin blanc, grenache blanc, marsanne, roussanne, sémillon blanc & gris, palomino, verdelho, colombar, clairette blanche, grillo, assyrtiko, & viognier in 17 various sites.

The Palladius 2024 is, for us, the standout wine of this year's release. A wine that has truly come of age since the 2017 vintage, Palladius has established itself as one of South Africa's greatest white wines. Every bottle is a remarkable expression of the Swartland, capturing the region's unique terroir with precision, depth and elegance.

More than a blend, Palladius is the culmination of everything the Sadie Family stands for: innovation, authenticity and an unwavering commitment to expressing place.

The grapes are picked across a great many vineyards and taken into our cold room on arrival at the cellar. The next day the grapes are sorted and the whole bunches go into the press. The pressing lasts 2 - 3 hours and in that period a margin of settling of the juice takes place in the collecting tank. The turbid juice is then transferred
to concrete eggs of 725 litres and 400 – 1200 litre clay amphoras for the next stage of natural fermentation.
The fermentation temperatures in the clay amphorae and the concrete eggs are very constant and we only control the ambient temperature at around 18 degrees throughout the season. Each wine basically ferments in its own time – in some cases it may take up to 18 months - and every vineyard is fermented in the same vessel every year.

The Palladius matures in these vessels for 12 months and is then racked off into big old foudres for an additional 12 months ageing prior to bottling. After two years the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes(Sadie): Over the past 7 years Palladius has been the wine that grew the most in quality and refinement and much of this has to do with the addition of more vineyards and the improvement of their viticulture. Currently of all our wines, the Palladius, with 17 vineyards, obviously represents the biggest canvas of the Swartland. Last year, we highlighted the coming-of-age journey of Palladius over the past 25 years. This 2024 vintage again displays very fresh lemon-zest and nectarine characteristics, with some suppressed grapefruit aromas, all coated in salinity. The wine is restrained and elegant throughout, yet it holds massive weight and length. Steel if you need to, but get to taste this wine, it speaks volumes of the Swartland and its
magnificence. As always, it is suggested to age this wine for a minimum of 4 - 6 years

Food Pairing: The wine’s bright lemon zest, nectarine, and subtle grapefruit notes with a saline edge make it an ideal partner for shellfish like oysters, mussels, and scallops, as well as Mediterranean fish dishes such as grilled seabass with olive oil and herbs. Its restrained elegance and acidity balance beautifully with Asian cuisine like sushi or Thai lemongrass dishes, while soft goat cheese or aged Comté highlight its weight and freshness. Vegetarian pairings such as charred zucchini, fennel, or roasted cauliflower with tahini echo its mineral backbone, and with age, richer dishes like lobster or truffle risotto will shin

'‘Taking its place among the finest white wines in the world, the Palladius 2024 is a blend from 17 sites of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Semillon Blanc and Gris, Palomino, Verdelho, Colombar, Clairette Blanche, Grillo, Assyrtiko and Viognier. Wow! This is the wine of the release for me. It’s nuanced and detailed, offering beautiful dialled-back white flowers, summer-soaked citrus, white peach and fynbos. The palate is narrow and definite, with poised ripe fruit lingering in the background. A saline and fresh end demands five years before broaching. This is pure class. The wine evolves in the glass with notes of hay, linen, rockpool and an overall impression of sophistication, weaving a story of the Swartland with haute couture finesse. Raised in concrete, ceramic and large foudres.’ – James Pietersen, 20 July 2026

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.5% | TA 5.7g/L | pH 3.2 | RS 1.7g/L