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 here are very sandy and chalky, of a type that Sadie likens to the white albariza soils of Andalucía. Fitting then that half the vines here are palomino. This is also one of the coolest parts of Swartland. Cool, yes, but also extremely dry, with an average rainfall of only around 300mm per year. This naturally restricts the yields (average yields are only 26 hl/ha) and concentrates the fruit, magnifying the saline intensity in the fruit.
“Follow the salt trail" says Eben Sadie of this world-class blend of equal parts Chenin Blanc and Palomino from sand and limestone soils close to the Atlantic Ocean. Rivalling the whites of Santorini in Greece for intensity, concentration and minerality, it's a savoury, focused, windswept delight, with rockpool, oyster shell, lime and citrus flavours.”
98 points, Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2023.
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