Swartland. Named after the abundant native scorpions that make their home here, Skerpioen is an unirrigated 2.4-hectare, 80-plus-year-old vineyard planted half to Palomino and half to Chenin Blanc. It’s just two kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean and overlooks Elands Bay. The soils are sandy and chalky, likened by Sadie to the white albarizas of Andalucía. It’s fitting, then, that half the vines are Palomino. This is also one of the coolest parts of Swartland—cool but also extremely dry, with an average rainfall of only about 300mm per year. Pictured above, Eben quips that “if Mad Max had a vineyard, this would be it”. The dryness naturally restricts the yields (the average is only 26 hl/ha) and concentrates the fruit, magnifying the saline intensity.
The grapes are picked and pressed together and co-ferment spontaneously in old wooden casks. The result is always a stunning, complex, unique white. “We suggest rushing off to buy oysters!” Eben says. “In respect to the 2023,” Eben also notes, “the tannins and the acidity are slightly softer than in the last two vintages, and this vintage could be savoured earlier as the balance and mouthfeel are already very balanced.”