Region: Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal Mountain
Variety: Grenache
Vintage: 2024
Country: South Africa
The Wine
The Sadie Family needs little introduction at this point. Eben Sadie is one of the defining figures in modern South African wine, and his Old Vine Series has become a reference point not just for Swartland and the Cape, but for site-transparent, old-vine Mediterranean varieties globally. Soldaat is his Grenache from Piekenierskloof, an isolated, high-altitude mountain site north of the Swartland around 780 metres above sea level. That altitude is crucial. It delivers slower ripening, lower pH, finer tannins and a kind of lifted, red-fruited purity that makes Soldaat one of the Cape’s most distinctive Grenache expressions.
The vineyard is planted to old bush vines, around 55 years old, unirrigated and still on their own roots. The soils are decomposed granite and sandstone, poor and well-draining, which again pushes the wine toward finesse rather than sheer size. Soldaat is fermented and aged in concrete, a choice that fits the wine perfectly: no overlay, no sweetness from oak, just fruit purity, mineral shape and fine tannin. The 2024 is described as a little more generous than 2023, with plush red cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and crushed strawberry notes, medium-bodied weight and a gently grippy finish.
This is one of those wines that consistently reminds you how compelling Grenache can be when grown in the right place. It is not a heavy, warm-climate caricature. It is fragrant, tensile and almost airy, but still structured enough to age. The altitude, old vines and concrete élevage all matter here, and the result is a wine of purity and restraint rather than volume.
Cellared Says
Soldaat is such a beautiful Grenache. It has that red-fruited, high-toned charm you want from the variety, but there’s always something more serious underneath — wet stone, spice, grip and a kind of mountain freshness that sets it apart from richer, broader styles. This is why Sadie has such a following: the wines feel honest to place, and they never rely on makeup. Soldaat is all about purity, altitude and old-vine grace. For lovers of elegant Grenache, this is one of the most compelling bottles in the Southern Hemisphere. Recently tasted at the Swinney Farvie release tasting, this shone from it’s pure character, intensity and charm. Lovely wine.
Wine Reviews
“Sliced strawberries, pomegranates, rose hips, orange rind and wet stones on the nose of this supremely elegant, fragrant red. Sour cherries, too. It’s medium-bodied, very fresh and silky, with very fine tannins, seamless but present. Persistent and salty at the end. Great expression of grenache. Fermented and aged in concrete.”
97 points, JamesSuckling.com
“Erasmus van Zyl's farm in Piekenierskloof, located on quartz and sandstone soils, supplies the grapes for this ethereal old-vine Grenache, described by Eben Sadie as "transparent." Fermented with 30% whole-clusters, it has aromas of fresh earth and Campari spices, flavours of pomegranate and red cherry, remarkable freshness and some underlying tannic grip. 2027-32.”
96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Special Report 2025
Region: Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal Mountain
Variety: Grenache
Vintage: 2024
Country: South Africa
The Wine
The Sadie Family needs little introduction at this point. Eben Sadie is one of the defining figures in modern South African wine, and his Old Vine Series has become a reference point not just for Swartland and the Cape, but for site-transparent, old-vine Mediterranean varieties globally. Soldaat is his Grenache from Piekenierskloof, an isolated, high-altitude mountain site north of the Swartland around 780 metres above sea level. That altitude is crucial. It delivers slower ripening, lower pH, finer tannins and a kind of lifted, red-fruited purity that makes Soldaat one of the Cape’s most distinctive Grenache expressions.
The vineyard is planted to old bush vines, around 55 years old, unirrigated and still on their own roots. The soils are decomposed granite and sandstone, poor and well-draining, which again pushes the wine toward finesse rather than sheer size. Soldaat is fermented and aged in concrete, a choice that fits the wine perfectly: no overlay, no sweetness from oak, just fruit purity, mineral shape and fine tannin. The 2024 is described as a little more generous than 2023, with plush red cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and crushed strawberry notes, medium-bodied weight and a gently grippy finish.
This is one of those wines that consistently reminds you how compelling Grenache can be when grown in the right place. It is not a heavy, warm-climate caricature. It is fragrant, tensile and almost airy, but still structured enough to age. The altitude, old vines and concrete élevage all matter here, and the result is a wine of purity and restraint rather than volume.
Cellared Says
Soldaat is such a beautiful Grenache. It has that red-fruited, high-toned charm you want from the variety, but there’s always something more serious underneath — wet stone, spice, grip and a kind of mountain freshness that sets it apart from richer, broader styles. This is why Sadie has such a following: the wines feel honest to place, and they never rely on makeup. Soldaat is all about purity, altitude and old-vine grace. For lovers of elegant Grenache, this is one of the most compelling bottles in the Southern Hemisphere. Recently tasted at the Swinney Farvie release tasting, this shone from it’s pure character, intensity and charm. Lovely wine.
Wine Reviews
“Sliced strawberries, pomegranates, rose hips, orange rind and wet stones on the nose of this supremely elegant, fragrant red. Sour cherries, too. It’s medium-bodied, very fresh and silky, with very fine tannins, seamless but present. Persistent and salty at the end. Great expression of grenache. Fermented and aged in concrete.”
97 points, JamesSuckling.com
“Erasmus van Zyl's farm in Piekenierskloof, located on quartz and sandstone soils, supplies the grapes for this ethereal old-vine Grenache, described by Eben Sadie as "transparent." Fermented with 30% whole-clusters, it has aromas of fresh earth and Campari spices, flavours of pomegranate and red cherry, remarkable freshness and some underlying tannic grip. 2027-32.”
96 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Special Report 2025
Image 1 of 1
