Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse 2023

Thorne and Daughters werd in 2012 opgezet door John Tasha Seccombe. Ze noemen de Rocking Horse de ‘hoeksteen’ van de productie, hun signatuurwijn. Ze doen met deze wijn waar ze goed in zijn: het combineren van druiven van streng geselecteerde plekken in de Westkaap tot een bijzondere blend. In de blend vinden we onder andere sémillon uit Franschhoek, roussanne uit Stellenbosch en Paardeberg, chardonnay van het Ceres Plateau, chenin blanc van de Paardeberg en clairette blanche uit Swartland. Een prachtige compositie, mogen we wel zeggen; alle druiven dragen bij aan de complexiteit.

Rocking Horse is our cornerstone wine and takes its name from a wooden rocking horse that we made for our daughters out of old oak barrel staves. The wine is composed from a number of carefully selected vineyard sites in the Western Cape. The aromas are of yellow plum, kumquat, lemon thyme, soft brioche and crushed oyster shell. In the mouth, the wine starts broad and rich, resolving into a keen line of acidity supported by a gentle tannin.

Rocking Horse 2023– Nuts and bolts

Roussanne – 30% Stellenbosch / Paardeberg – 14 years old – decomposed granite / clay
Chenin blanc – 28% Paardeberg 44 years old – decomposed granite and Malmesbury 40 years old iron-rich soils
Chardonnay – 20% Ceres Plateau 10 years old – sandstone over clay
Semillon blanc – 15% Swartland – 60 and 14 years old – alluvial soils
Clairette blanche – 7%Worcester 45 years old – alluvial soils

Alcohol – 13.63%
Residual sugar – 2.3 g/L
Total acidity – 5.9 g/L
pH 3.29

Christian Eedes, WineMag.co.za, 96/100
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%.

Tim Atkin: 95/100
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