Swartland Region

Sequillo comes from the Latin and means an arid, dry place of great purity: a very good description of the Swartland in South Africa. It is the Swartland that the Sadie Family strive to capture in their Sequillo wines, vintage after vintage. Their wines must reflect the soils and have a strong sense of place; and this expression of place must be unrefined and unfiltered.

The Label

There is a small group of producers who embraces a “back to the roots” approach on the vinification of grapes - to a large extent this comes down to refraining from the use of machines that change the natural qualities of wine. This year the Sequillo White label shows an outdated wine filter (take note: not to be replaced by a modern one!) that has been removed from the cellar and has found its home in the rain and the elements and has only one proper use: being a haven for a couple of birds to nest their next generation.

The Wine

As was the case with the previous vintage, Eben again increased the percentage of Palomino and Clairette in this blend, for even more freshness and primary fruit flavours. The Roussanne component was excluded for the first time, as he felt it was too rich; and Eben wanted to reduce the alcohol level and have an even more refined and elegant version with earlier drinkability.

He was surprised to observe that both the Palomino and Clairette impart a very sophisticated minerality to the final blend. This wine has a linear edge that cuts like a sushi knife!