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Thorne & Daughters 2022 'Rocking Horse'

Hey October,

We're taking a trip back to South Africa, with this stunning and extremely limited white from Thorne & Daughters!

The 2022 Rocking Horse is the cornerstone wine of Thorne & Daughters, named after a handcrafted wooden rocking horse made from old oak barrel staves for the winemaker's daughters. This signature blend represents the culmination of their work and vision for a Cape White wine.

The Wine

Crafted from select vineyard sites across the Western Cape, the wine's aromatic profile reveals layers of green pineapple, kumquat, nori, and lime leaf. On the palate, it presents a nervy, focused expression of citrus, ginger, and stone fruit, leading to a long, taut finish with a touch of salinity. This wine beautifully captures the complexity and character of the region.

 

The Winemaking

The winemaking process here is kept simple, with the primary challenge during harvest being to ensure that all far-flung blocks are picked at the right time and brought back to the winery in perfect condition. Once achieved, the focus shifts to minimal intervention. Grapes are picked early, with timing based mostly on taste and consideration of the desired wine style. The goal isn’t a big alcohol expression, nor a low one, but rather subtle wines that show ripeness while maintaining restraint and elegance.

The grapes undergo whole-bunch pressing, with no treatments or additions used on the juice. This hands-off approach helps to develop the wine’s natural character. The juice is racked off the heavy solids and transferred to old oak barrels of various volumes. Fermentation occurs naturally, followed by malolactic fermentation. Over the next few months, the wine is closely monitored until it 'settles down,' at which point a small amount of sulphur dioxide is added. The aim is not to highlight primary fruit but to showcase the underlying character of the grapes and the unique qualities of the vineyard they came from.

"Outstanding example of new-wave Cape white blend, 22 (95 pts) fascinating medley of roussanne, semillon, chenin, chardonnay & clairette. Aromatic & multifaceted, like 21 (94 pts) & previous, with stonefruit depth & breadth, fine texture & an elegant, dry limy gripe. Swartland, Stellenbosch & Franschhoek grapes, 9 months in seasoned oak."

5 Stars 2024 Platter’s South African Wine Guide

"Rocking Horse affords John Seccombe the chance to show his skills as a blender. Based on Semillon, with the remaining 65% made up of Roussanne, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Clairette Blanche, this seven vineyard cuvée uses grapes from five different regions. Pithy, tangy and very lightly wooded, it has wet stone, quince and green apple flavours and a twist of orange zest. 2024-28"

95 pts Tim Atkin MW 2023

"35% Semillon, 28% Roussanne, 14% Chenin Blanc, 13% Chardonnay and 10% Clairette Blanc sourced from across the Cape. Expressive aromatics including citrus, apple, peach, straw and fynbos, the merest hint of reduction and some nutty, earthy base notes. Excellent fruit expression and crisp acidity before a finish that is long and dry. Super-detailed as always. Alc: 13%"

96 pts Wine Mag

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