Soldaat is a 100% Grenache from a parcel of 55-year-old vines in the highland Piekenierskloof region (just shy of the Swartland catchment, going north to Citrusdal). The vineyard got its name from the foot soldiers (piekeniers) who once used this area as a lookout. Hence the name of the wine, Soldaat (‘soldier’). Sadie’s east-facing parcel sits around 780 meters—one of the Cape’s highest elevations—and the soil is decomposed granite. The vines here are unirrigated and still on their own rootstock.
Eben notes that The Piekenierskloof Pass has firmly positioned itself as the leading location for Cape Grenache, with the area capable of giving vibrant, perfumed wines with lifted red fruit and smoky, spicy notes as well as an earthy minerality. This wine can remind of the elegant, perfumed Garnachas from Gredos and San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid highlands, yet with a precision and class all its own. And at 13% alcohol, it’s something completely different from the heavy, alcoholic wines that are so often a theme with Grenache.
Crafted from yields of 22 hl/ha, Soldaat is fermented (and raised) entirely in concrete tanks (with 60% whole bunches this year). The 2021 is a brilliant rendition, textural yet bright and full of personality.