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Old Vine Series. Following the Citrusdal Valley north
towards Clanwilliam, we come to Sadie’s highest vineyard, Kokerboom. Named for
the striking aloe plants that grow near the vines, Kokerboom was planted on
Table Mountain sandstone in the 1930s and is now home to one of Swartland’s few
remaining plantings of old-vine Semillon. This variety once made up 80% of
South Africa’s national plantings. The site was owned and managed by Henk Laing
until his recent death, and Sadie has said that this “… is one of the most
pristine old vineyards we know. No herbicides or artificial fertilisers have
ever been used on it, and it has been perfectly pruned over the years. The
downside is that it is small and low-yielding.”
Kokerboom is a field blend of Semillon Blanc and Semillon
Gris, the latter contributing 15 to 25%, depending on the year. Both Semillons
are picked and pressed together and raised in large-format oak. Thanks to its
solar exposition, the Semillon ripens exceptionally well and has little to none
of the tart herbaceousness sometimes associated with the grape. Instead,
Semillon from this site is known for its ripe lime characters, as well as notes
of chamomile and waxy texture. This year, Kokerboom is the lowest-yielding
vineyard of the Old Vine Series—in 2022, the vines squeezed out just 16 hl/ha—
and Eden implores that what little there is should be shared among friends! The
2022 is the first bottled at below 14% (it is 12.8%). “The tannins, acidity,
overall texture and volume in the wine are incredible, and we are in awe of the
power of this terroir,” says Eben. “The compact tannins and acidity take this
wine to infinity and beyond…”
Vintage: 2022
Cultivar: Semillon Blanc and Semillon Gris
Wine of Origin: Swartland
98 points – Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
97 points – James Suckling
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