John Seccombe, although not as young as his some of his contemporaries, is one of our Young Guns for 2014. His Thorne and Daughters family concern is truly pushing the boundaries with old vines and simple, natural winemaking.
John works with grapes from all over the Cape. The vision is not dissimilar to that of Cartology (for release in June), where variety is less important and emphasis is placed on texture, depth and integrity. Whilst leaning more towards the slightly oxidative style, there is beautiful purity, freshness and fineness in both of his wines. John is a close friend of Chris Alheit and made this vintage in the same cellar, likely sharing information along the way. The Rocking Horse Cape White blend is one of the most exciting releases of the year and looks set to become an instant cult wine. A 94/100 from Christian Eedes is not to be overlooked!.
The skin-contact Tin Soldier Semillon ‘should bring tears to the eyes of most wine geeks’ says Christian. We only have a few cases available.
We also have more of the Sadie Old Vine Series, including Skurfberg. See our website for details.
To place your order, please email Janine@winecellar.co.za. Alternatively, you can call us on 021 448 4105 (CT) or 011 027 9463 (JHB). View delivery charges
Christian Eedes’ tasting notes
Thorne and Daughters Rocking Horse Cape White 2013
39% Roussanne (Paarl), 23% Chardonnay (“near Bot River”), 23% Semillon (Franschhoek) and 15% Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch). Spontaneous fermentation and maturation in barrels of various sizes, none new.
White and yellow peach, honey, an attractive touch of vanilla, some wet clay. The wine appears sweet but is technically dry (RS 1.8g/l) giving it a wonderfully sun-kissed quality. In terms of shape and form, it starts broad but comes impressively to a point while there’s weight without it being oily or buttery. A very sure-footed debut.
Thorne and Daughters Tin Soldier Semillon 2013
From a 30-year-old Franschhoek vineyard where white and red Semillon occur equally, red Semillon (or Semillon Gris) a natural mutation of white and no significant plantings found outside South Africa. Fermented and left on the skins for four weeks.
A quite extraordinary nose which can only be described as a combination of Fanta Grape and bay leaf – enticing even if it doesn’t sound like it! Juicy on entry but almost astringent on the finish thanks to the skin contact – not at all unpleasant but it does send the wine in a slightly rustic direction. Will bring tears to the eyes of most wine geeks.
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