2020 Sadie Family "Columella" Red
Producer: Sadie Family
Region: Swartland, Western Cape
Country: South Africa
Grapes: Proprietary - Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsaut, and Tinta Barocca
Vintage: 2020
ABV: 13.85%
Vivino: 4.5
Drink By: 2041
Occasional Wine Note: This is the 2020 version of Sadie Family's Columella. The blend, wine making, ageability, and accolades are all on par with the 2019 version. There's no discernible difference. To again steal Tim Atkins' description, this one brings the power of the Douro and the softness and finess of the Rhone Valley. Bottom line, the 2020 is just as fantastic as its 2019 predecessor. The real difference is that you can't find the 2019 for under $200 anymore. The 2020 is headed in the same direction.
Wine Advocate
Critic Score: 98
From the first sniff, the 2020 Columella is an instant champion that is pointing and swinging for the fence. With its fresh frame of fruit and expertly layered oaky essences, the wine is incredibly complex as it bursts from the glass with precision and finesse. Medium-bodied and with 13.5% alcohol, the Columella somersaults into a phantasmagoria of bright crunchy red fruit flavors and seductive floral essences that makes my head spin. Collectors will take note and add a couple of bottles of this to their cellar. It’s an absolutely stellar bottling that will age gracefully for decades.
James Suckling
Critic Score: 97
Complex and deep aromas of blueberries, crushed plums, blackberries, cloves and black pepper. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy, fruit-soaked tannins. Finely texture with wonderful depth and intensity. Succulent and vibrant on the palate with great length and ever evolving savory complexity. Terrific. A bit tense right now but will relax with time. Best after 2025.