Sakkie Mouton has been at the forefront of experimental winemaking in the Vredendal and Koekenaap region for the past 6+ years producing some of the most enticing premium white and red wine offerings that are clearly inspired and influenced by the rugged West Coast vine growing lifestyle. Through adversity and hardship, comes rays of brilliance, and this new experimental white blend of 80% Old Vine Colombard and 20% Palomino sourced from Vredendal vineyards is another absolute triumph for Sakkie.
Over the past years, Sakkie has been experimenting with a wide range of white varieties from Chenin Blanc to Colombard, Vermentino to Chenel, Palamino to Muscat de Alexandrie, and his last new release, the 2023 Assyrtiko, was another wonderful revelation on his continuing path of experimentation and blending.
Old vine Colombard vineyards in Vredendal.
The usual outlet for Sakkie’s white blend experimentation normally falls under his Full On Misfit cuvee, that has evolved over the years into a beautifully harmonious, complex white expression quite unlike anything else on the market. This is of course part of the whole raison d’etre for so much of Sakkie’s winemaking focus, sourcing grapes in the once fairly obscure Vredendal region, better known in the past for bulk winemaking. The Grape Cavalier Wit Versnit is a delicious new white expression that avid followers of Sakkie’s wines will not want to miss out on.
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines The Grape Cavalier Colombard – Palomino White Blend 2023, WO Vredendal, 11.8% Abv.
This delicious Weskus Wit Versnit (West Coast white blend) is another triumph of terroir from Sakkie Mouton, opening with picante granitic aromatics that are heavily laden with oyster shell, sea breeze salinity and brine over delicate nuances of tangy white citrus, grated lime peel, lemon herbal tea, wet chalk, stem ginger spice and gentle hazelnut undertones. The palate is equally intense and beguiling, delivering a tart, mouthwatering experience tightly interwoven with fresh laser-like acids, another burst of ‘salted lemons after a savoury tequila shot’, freshly cut Granny Smith apples and an invigorating mineral tension that reverberates on the long maritime finish. A really fabulous new creation that has Sakkie Mouton’s signature Weskus winemaking genius written all over it. This appears to be a once-off experimental cuvee from Sakkie as he continues to push the boundaries of experimental winemaking. Decant and drink on release or cellar this beauty for another 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Sakkie Mouton wines are imported into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines. The Grape Cavalier retails for circa £37pb.
Sakkie Mouton continues to grow his cult reputation and build a quality name for himself and his rugged west coast vinous expressions, all made from some of the most unforgiving vineyard areas in the whole of the Western Cape, four and a half hours north of Cape Town. The vineyards for this specific blend were planted between 1986 and 2017 on Sandstone and silt soils between 15 and 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean.
Having spent time with Sakkie Mouton in October 2022, and then again in March 2023, before his two most recent visits to the UK, I can clearly see that the young adventurous winemaker that I met in April 2019 at Spec & Bone Restaurant in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, to taste his maiden 2018 Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc, has matured and evolved into exactly the bright young talent that I envisaged all those years ago when I described him as “the most exciting talent since Eden Sadie hit the South African wine scene.” It is fulfilling to see Sakkie grow and prosper and especially pleasing to see how popular and collectable his wines have become, not only in South African but also in the UK, Scandinavia and further afield.
Sakkie Mouton presenting a Masterclass in London in June 2023 at the South African High Commission.
The thing about Sakkie, like Eben all those years ago, is that he is on his own mission and has never looked to mimic or copy current wine styles or wine trends in the market. Exceptional talents like Eben or Sakkie have the passion and vision to follow their own dream, their own style, and create something new and noteworthy in a saturated wine world. That is exactly what Sakkie has done with his current wine range, promoting the very best old vine fruit from the west coast and Vredendal / Koekenaap in particular, just like Eden did with the Swartland in the early noughties.
Sakkie Mouton in his Vredendal Chenin Blanc vineyard in October 2022.
The Revenge of the Crayfish 2022 review will follow soon but will sadly probably be sold out before the ink is dry. But if you hunt around, you may still be able to pick up a delicious rogue bottle of Sakkie’s Full On Misfit White Blend 2022. If all else fails, reset your metal detector and watch out for Sakkie’s first red release in September 2023 – a Koekenaap Syrah that I have tasted three times, with each consecutive encounter impressing me more and more. It’s a veritable Allemande Cornas meets Jean-Luc Jamet Cote Rotie in style. But again, you are going to have to be very quick off the mark if you want to secure an allocation. So it’s onwards and steadily upwards for Sakkie Mouton.
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Full On Misfit 2022 White Blend, WO Western Cape, 12.69% Abv.
1.6g/l RS | 7.0g/l TA | 3.25pH
The Full On Misfit 2022 white blend is a wine made from four different vineyards, located near the cold Atlantic Ocean, stretching from Vredendal to Koekenaap on the West Coast. An ever-evolving blend, the 2022 consists of 54% Chenin Blanc, 22% Colombard, 18% Macabeo and 6% Muscat d’Alexandrie. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a small addition of sulphur, the aromatics show a distinct perfumed floral purity with top notes of white blossom, lime leaf, lemon grass, white peach, lime peel and salty maritime notes of sea breeze, kelp and oyster shell. The palate is beautifully refined and harmonious displaying an impressively round, glycerol mouthfeel together with bright, tart, electric briny acids, sea water and savoury nori seaweed over bright, zesty citrus notes of lemon pastille, lime peel and yellow grapefruit. The nine months in barrel with regular bâtonnage broadens the palate and fleshes the wine out adding impressive texture and mid-palate stuffing. With its ingrained West Coast DNA, this wine will never be short on salinity and liquid minerality, two distinct hallmarks of all the wines Sakkie Mouton makes from these rugged Wes Kus grapes. While this is undoubtedly one of Sakkie’s most accomplished white blends to date, his experimentation looks set to continue unabated. Drink this on release after a decant and over the next 8 to 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wines are imported into the UK by Museum Wines and Woodwinters. Allocations are available upon request. Retail price for the Full on Misfit 2022 White Blend is circa £29.99pb.
Marelise Niemann officially launched her own Momento label in 2013 when she was still working for Beaumont winery in the Bot River region. She has since taken up wine making duties at Anysbos Winery in the Bot River owned by Peter-Allan Finlayson’s uncle-in-law with her maiden vintages released from the 2017 vintage.
Marelise had also been making her Momento wines at Gabrielskloof along side Peter-Allan and John Seccombe (Thorne & Daughters) but has also moved production of these wines to the Anysbos Winery. The 2019 Disdit white is a blend of 70% Chenin Blanc, 29% Roussanne and 1% dryland grown bush vine Grenache Blanc naturally fermented and then aged for 10 months in old barrels.
Anysbos Disdit 2019, WO Bot River, 13.5 Abv.
The first time I tasted the 2017 Disdit white blend I was blown away. So what to expect from the follow-up 2019? Predictably the wine shows much more tension, flinty reduction and impressive minerality like many top SA 2019 whites. The aromatics reveal a complex melange of white citrus, wet thatch, dried herbs, fresh fennel, yellow pithy orchard fruits and a curiously alluring, earthy mineral undertone. The palate fruit expression is cool and tightly wound showing a herbal intensity, pithy white peaches, savoury buttery notes and a vibrant, fresh textured finish. Very impressive indeed! Pop this in the cellar for 1-3 years before pulling the cork.
After the difficulties of the 2018 harvest, the fourth drought influenced vintage in a row, that produced small quantities of very high-quality wines, 2019 arrived after a winter with better rains and beckoned a vintage with heathier yields and higher volumes. While Chris waivered briefly a few years ago on the long-term future of the Cartology brand, a subsequent broader rejigging of some of the exceptional old vineyards that used to go into this wine ultimately led to a complete shake up of the range, and most importantly, the acquisition of the Nuwedam farm in the Swartland, the Paardeberg source of the Fire By Night brand, now renamed Broom Ridge.
But the Cartology Chenin Blanc based blend luckily remains central to the Alheit Family Wines long term plans. While it’s unclear how large volumes might grow one day, this wine remains one of the greatest success stories to emerge from the “New South Africa” and its winelands.
Alheit Family Wines Cartology 2019, WO Western Cape, 13% abv.
The 2019 expression of Chris Alheit’s sought-after megabrand is a blend of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Semillon (from La Colline) and stands as the benchmark reference point for his whole winemaking range and philosophy. Always normally requiring a bit of extra time in bottle to show at its expressive best, this delicious 2019 already reveals a wonderful balance and precision, focus and textural attention to detail. The aromatics are loaded with the now unmistakable Chenin Blanc notes of yellow orchard fruits, white peach, tangerines, wet thatch and orange peel zest with complexing waxy, honeycomb nuances. Cool, seamless and wonderfully balanced, the palate shows a lovely vein of tangy acidity that really brings the fruit flavours to life. Plush, concentrated and impressively glycerol already, this Cartology is showy and seductive but contains all the requisite stuffing required for 15+ years of ageing.
Founded in 1893, the Cantina Terlano winery is now regarded as one of the leading wine growers’ cooperatives in South Tyrol, Italy, with a current membership of 143 growers working a total area of 190 hectares. That is the equivalent of some 1.5 million bottles of wine a year overseen by head winemaker Rudi Kofler.
Cantina Terlano and their members have long had a strong focus on quality which has attracted praise and recognition on not only the local Italian market but also on all international fine wine markets. If there are better white wines produced by a co-operative anywhere else in the world I’d like to know about it! Indeed, many of their iconic and memorable wines from the 1950s and 1960s, which rank amongst the greatest white wines ever produced, were made at Cantina Terlaner.
The unique microclimate at the foot of Mount Tschöggel determines the potential age-worthiness and the characteristics of these wines. The soils are very rich in schists and porphyry, a rocky nature that allows for heat accumulation and excellent water drainage.
I write a lot about the fascinating white blends made in South Africa, but the Alto Adige DOC is another one of the few areas in the world that also champions premium white blends of exceptional quality. This cuvee Nova Domus Riserva is a classical regional blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Cantina Terlano Nova Domus 2017 Terlaner Riserva, Alto Adige Terlano DOC, 14% Abv.
This is one of the most seductive and majestic Italian white wines I’ve tasted in a long time. The nose suggests great precision and restraint with focused complexity, showing subtle notes of white flowers, dried baking herbs, waxy green apples, crunchy pineapple, sea breeze and a stony minerality. The palate is taut and restrained initially but then slowly starts to reveal plenty of pineapple pastille, apple purée, green pear fruits and the most precise, structured, crystalline purity on the finish. The use of more older oak (compared to earlier vintages) is noticeable allowing the pristine fruit purity and terroir minerality to really shine. This is certainly an Italian Grand Cru white of exceptional quality. Drink now and over 10+ years.
I first met Donovan Rall at the Cape White Blend Conference in 2009 at Forest 44 in Stellenbosch where Ian Naude had assemble 80+ of South Africa’s greatest winemakers to listen to Eben Sadie, Peter Fischer and myself talk about the farming, production and marketing of world class white blends. During one of the intermissions, this giant Viking came up to me and introduced himself. Little did I know that Donovan had worked for several months with a Handford colleague of mine at the Harvey Nichols fine wine department in Knightsbridge, London. Offering me two bottles of his by then long sold out maiden release Rall White Blend, he asked me to drink one and let him know what I thought, and also if I could please take the other bottle back to London for his old colleague Gavin to enjoy. I of course obliged.
I am not sure why he wanted to hear what I thought about his wine as this maiden vintage was already the first of three consecutive 5 Star Platter Guide wines that he eventually went on to produce. Now I am willing to wager a serious bet that no other wine maker in South Africa has achieved the fabled 5 Stars from Platter for their first three vintages ever produced! Surely a record that won’t be broken any time soon.
Rall White Blend 2019, WO Coastal Region, 13% Abv.
Some of the most serious white wines in the world are more often than not wines that can be quite illusive, restrained and slightly introverted. That’s because the greatest white wines don’t have to advertise their true potential on release with vulgar “low hanging fruit” to draw attention. It’s the complete opposite – mystery, reserve and restraint. That is exactly where this epic white blend from Donovan fits in. An exotic blend of 68% Chenin Blanc, 28% Verdelho and 4% Viognier, the fruit for this wine was sourced from a number of soil types before being fermented with indigenous yeasts and then aged for 10 months in old French oak. The nose on this blend suggests a lot but simultaneously gives little away boasting a complex but understated melange of green pears, yellow grapefruit, green apple and tangerine pith. The palate is fabulously steely and linear, taut and precise with real structure and focused purity but also an impressively harmonious balance and textural finesse that you only normally experience on the greatest white vintages of Grand Cru Burgundy. South Africa is indeed blessed to possess the raw materials (and winemaking talent) to create incredible wines like this for an absolute steal. Drink a bottle or two on release after an hours decant and cellar the rest for a good 5 to 8+ years.
Sakkie Mouton has become a bit of a cult figure ever since I reviewed his maiden vintage of Revenge of the Crayfish 2018 back in April 2019. The public response was indeed spectacular with the traffic to my review almost crashing my website on several occasions. But there’s nothing like a big entrance to build the pressure on ones shoulders and to ensure the mind is focused and ready to produce a second edition!
With the 2020 release of the Revenge of the Crayfish Mark 2, Sakkie proved that the 2018 wasn’t a fluke and that he was in control, had a plan, and was here to stay! The Rooigety (red tide) edition 2019 of the Crayfish has and continues to woo customers and critics alike. This lad can just do no wrong. With Chenin, Sakkie understands his local vineyards, his roots, his neighbourhood and what he wants to achieve with his wines.
But of course there is no holding a good man down and new projects and new wines were always on the cards. That brings us to the Full On Misfit Blanc. Off piste and esoteric for sure, it still amazingly captures the “Wes Kus” spirit and style with a glassy crystalline purity, coastal salinity and of course lovely freshness.
This is not a Crayfish style wine, but it deserves equal attention and most definitely a place in your cellar for Christmas!
Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Full On Misfit Blanc 2020, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.
Ever so slightly eccentric but definitely esoteric, this new white blend from Sakkie Mouton is a bold mix of 56% Chenel (the Chenin Blanc / Ugni Blanc cross), 24% Colombard and 20% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from West Coast vineyards in Vredendal, Lutzville and Koekenaap. Initially on opening, the wine was a little tight and reticent, revealing more of the Colombard’s green apple and cream soda notes. But with a few hours to open up, the wine slowly starts to unfurl a much more animated expression of crunchy white peaches, white pepper, green pears, sea breeze and a subtle chalky minerality. On the palate the wine definitely shifts into fifth gear, revealing a mouth wateringly vibrant tangy acidity, waves of green apple zest, crunchy white peach, fresh pear puree and just the most subtle hint of tangerine peel. The mouthfeel is full, round, glycerol and confident showing an impressively fleshy weight and an appealing crystalline purity with perhaps a very faint grassy complexity on the long, intense finish. The Colombard DNA is clear to see in this wine but the dark horse that is the Chenel certainly marks the wine with its own unique fingerprint. I suspect that as the wine ages in bottle, the Sauvignon Blanc portion will slowly but surely start to assert its premium varietal character with a little more spicey gooseberry, cut grass and picante green citrus. A wine to drink on release but certainly worth hiding a few bottles away for 3 to 5+ years for further interest. A fine addition to the Sakkie Mouton Family Wines portfolio.
I first visited this Chateau in September 2014 in what seems an absolute age away now. Tucked away on the D2 main road in Soussans, I must have driven past this sleepy little Chateau on the bend in the road over 100 times over the years. But to finally visit and taste their wines made by the talented winemaker Jean Michel Garcion was a revelation.
In the UK, merchants are always on the lookout for new, exciting but affordable Bordeaux wines that show ambition and quality but also a pronounced degree of classicism together with supreme drink ability. Haut Breton is just such a Chateau and with its extensive 15 hectares of vineyards planted on sandy gravelly clay soils with an average age of 20 years old, Jean Michel crafts blends dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with supporting roles played by Merlot and Petit Verdot.
I recently re-tasted the 2018 vintage in bottle ahead of its arrival in the UK market and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The 2018 Margaux from Chateau Haut Breton is a really seductive temptress encompassing a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot aged for between 15-20 months in 70% new French oak barriques. Full of intrigue and complexity, this wine has classic Margaux elegance written all over it. The aromatics boast notes of warm plums, exotic Christmas pudding, creme de cassis and delicate notes of crushed violets, vanilla and freshly tilled earth. The palate shows all the subtlety and elegance you’d expect with smooth, suave silky tannins, a pronounced “light on its feet” concentration, piquant notes of brûléed coffee beans, buttered brown toast and a long, cool, fresh spicy graphite laden blueberry finish. This wine just keeps growing in the glass and suggests the best glory years are still to come! Drink now to 2030+.
The 2020 Nedbank CWG Auction hosted by Bonhams London will be held online on Saturday 3rd October from 12h00 (BST). Due to Coronavirus, there were no public tastings prior to sale making the limited tastings by a select group of wine journalists even more important this year. The line-up comprises 28 wines with total cases on offer amounting to 564 cases (6 x 750ml) compared to 45 wines and 1,932 cases in 2019.
One of the eye catching wines in 2020…
In support of one of the Guild members, buyers will have the opportunity to bid on smaller lots – the funds raised by the first case of six bottles of every wine will be given as financial assistance to Samantha O’Keefe, whose Lismore property in Greyton was devastated by fire in December last year. The CWG will also be hosting a 50 – item Vinotheque Auction made up of select older wines donated by members with express objective being to raise funds to assist employees within their businesses whose livelihoods have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 CWG Selection:
CWG host and Jordan Winery owner Gary Jordan taking us through the 2020 CWG wines.
Graham Beck Cuvée 129 Extra Brut 2009, WO Western Cape
Winemaker: Pieter Ferreira. 51% Pinot Noir, 49% Chardonnay. Cuvée 129 refers to the number of months on the lees aging – 10 years and 9 months.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Silverthorn Big Dog VI Méthode Cap Classique 2015, WO Robertson
Winemaker: John Loubser. 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. Chardonnay fermented and aged in old French oak, Pinot Noir in steel. 50 months on lees.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
De Grendel Wooded Sauvignon Blanc 2019, WO Darling.
Winemaker: Charles Hopkins. Crushed, 18 hours skin contact, then settled and fermented in old oak.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bartho Eksteen Vloekskoot Sauvignon Blanc 2019, WO Cape Coast
Winemaker: Bartho Eksteen. Whole bunch pressed, no settling. Naturally fermented in older, big wood.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Simonsig Mediterraneo 2015, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Johan Malan. 66% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc, 6% Verdelho. Whole bunch pressed, mix of wild and cultured yeast.
Winemaker: Pierre Wahl. 14-year-old bush vines, fermented in new and used French oak.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Raats Family Wines The Fountain Terroir Specific Chenin Blanc 2019, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Bruwer Raats. Rich, creamy but super bright with leesy, peachy fruit complexity and incredible precision and vibrant intensity.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2018, WO Elgin
Winemaker: Andries Burger. From the oldest Chardonnay vineyard on the Estate, planted in 1987 (the oldest vines in Elgin).
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Leeu Passant Radicales Libres Chardonnay 2015, WO Klein Karoo
Winemaker: Andrea Mullineux. 100% Chardonnay, long elevage inspired by Jura and Rioja. From the incredibly cool Barrydale Valley in the Klein Karoo, after fermentation this Chardonnay was aged in barrel for five years.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Ataraxia Under The Gavel Chardonnay 2019, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Winemaker: Kevin Grant. Cool and Crystalline with a stony minerality, pithy peachy yellow citrus concentration and a long, pure brilliance.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Windansea Pinot Noir 2017, WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Winemaker: Gordon Newton Johnson. Stoniest, most clay-rich parts of the vineyard used for this. No sulfites in the winemaking. 11 months in barrel then six months in large oak.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Neil Ellis Wines Amper Bo Tempranillo 2015, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Warren Ellis. Whole berry fermentation then 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels and 40% in second fill.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Rust en Vrede CWG Auction Estate 2017, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Louis Strydom. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz, 10% Cinsault. Fermentation in small 300 litre open top oak barrels with three weeks extended maturation.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Luddite The Lone Stranger Mark II 2018, WO Bot River
Winemaker: Niels Verburg. 50% Mourvèdre, 40% Shiraz, 10% Grenache Noir. Small open fermenters then pressed to barrel for two years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Morné Very. 55% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec. Whole berry fermentation with limited punch downs. Four weeks post-ferment maturation on skins before being basket pressed. Matured in 40% new French 225 litre barrels for 16 months.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Spier Frans K Smit Auction Selection 2017, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Frans K Smit. 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Organic.
(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Strydom Family Wines The Game Changer 2017, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Rianie Strydom. 80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot. North facing slopes on the Helderberg.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2017, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Abrie Beeslaar. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot. From Simonsberg. Fermented in open top ‘kuipe’ for six days, then malolactic fermentation in tank, and matured in new French oak for two years.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Groot Constantia CWG Gouverneurs Reserve 2018, WO Constantia
Villiera Drip Barrel Cabernet Franc 2018, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Jeff Grier. 18 months in new and used French oak.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Edgebaston Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2017, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: David Finlayson. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. From the clay-heavy section of their GS vineyard, picked five days earlier than the rest of the vineyard. New French oak for two years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Hartenberg CWG Auction Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Carl Schultz. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bottelary Hills. 20 days on skins, 20 months in 50% new 225 litre French oak barrels.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Boschkloof Epilogue Syrah 2018, WO Stellenbosch
Winemaker: Jacques Borman. Harvested in three tranches, 30% whole bunch. Some matured in concrete, some in barrel (30% new).
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Cederberg Teen Die Hoog Shiraz 2018, WO Cederberg
Winemaker: David Nieuwoudt. Red slate soils. 85% new oak.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Saronsberg Die Erf Shiraz 2017, WO Tulbagh
Winemaker: Dewaldt Heyns. The best barrel of Block 27. Aged for 20 months in a new French Allier oak barrel.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Boplaas Cape Vintage CWG Reserve 2015, WO Western Cape
Winemaker: Carel Nel. 80% Touriga Nacional, 10% Touriga Franca, 6% Souzão, 4% Tinta Barocca. Fermented and fortified in small lagares and barrel matured in large seasoned oak barrels.
I have been following the outstanding work of John Seccombe from the very beginning of his Thorne & Daughters label which was started in 2012 by John and wife Tasha with the aim to produce authentic wines in the beautiful Western Cape. John works with grapes from all over the Cape peninsula and seems to have honed a particularly refined aesthetic when it comes to his winemaking. His Thorne and Daughters family concern is truly pushing the boundaries with old vines and simple, natural winemaking techniques.
Sometimes other producer’s wines have been more highly lauded or more vocally praised but this certainly has nothing to do with the quality of John’s wines. Indeed, John must be one of the most modest, humble and intelligent winemakers plying his trade in the Cape… silently and brilliantly. John’s 2018 Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse Cape white blend incorporates several old vine heritage vineyards that looks more to Burgundy rather than the Rhône for its stylistic compass.
With the release of John’s 2019 Rocking Horse hitting the airwaves at the moment, I thought it would be the perfect time to retaste the impressive 2018 blend, a wine that got a lot of wine trade tongues wagging at the New Wave 2019 tasting in London last year. As the current release and the wine most widely available, the 2018 is certainly worth further examination.
Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse 2018 wWhite Blend, WO Western Cape, 13.2 Abv.
The 2018 is an exotic Mediterranean blend of 25% Roussanne, 22% Semillon, 19% Chardonnay, 18% Clairette Blanche and 16% Chenin Blanc. A rich straw yellow colour, the aromatics are complex and expressive brimming with notes of leesy lemon biscuits, white citrus, dried baking herbs, fynbos and thatch and dried tangerine peel. On the palate, the textural intricacy is notable as you would expect from a wine with 25% Roussanne in the blend, which lends extra dimensions of fleshy white stone fruit and marzipan depth. Naturally fermented in old oak, the 2018 shows the classical crystalline purity of the vintage framed by a tart lemon lime acidity and a stony, liquid mineral granitic complexity. Beautifully sensual and pristinely balance, every mouthful stimulates the senses and gives the drinker additional flavours to contemplate… crisp white peaches, crunchy green pears, granny smith apples, bay leaf herbal notes and yet more green mango and saline twang on the long exhilarating finish. Impressively intense and taut for the vintage, this must be one of the most drop dead gorgeous white blends produced in the Cape at the moment. Drink now or age for 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW
Thorne & Daughters wines are distributed in the UK by Liberty Wines.
Greg Sherwood MW 