Credit: DRWinkler
John Seccombe (shown here) and wife Tasha started this boutique winery in 2012. They source fruit from throughout the Western Cape and make the wine at the Gabrielskloof cellar near Bot River. John attended Stellenbosch but moved to the UK and studied winemaking at Plumpton College in Sussex. After making wine in France and England, he and Tasha returned to South Africa where John made wine at Thelema and Iona before starting his own project. John’s viticulture is organic, his winemaking is unadulterated and natural, and his wines are among the best of their type produced in South Africa. Amazingly good wines made with contracted fruit and rented cellar space! US Importer: Vine Street Imports
The Wines
Thorne & Daughters 2023 Rocking Horse Cape White Blend Western Cape 95 This white blend is John Seccombe’s flagship wine. Made with a portion of old vine Claudette Blanche, it opens with a multifaceted bouquet reminiscent of stone fruit and savory spices. The perfectly balanced palate offers precise orchard and citrus fruit, breadth of texture and a rich phenolic finish. A blend of 30% Roussanne, 28% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 15% Semillon Blanc and 7% Clairette Blanche from vineyards throughout the Western Cape; whole bunch pressed with no treatments or additions, fermented in used oak barrels, full malo. pH 3.29, 13.6% alc.
Thorne & Daughters 2023 Cat’s Cradle Swartland 95 Cat’s Cradle was first produced in 2017 as a single vineyard wine from 44-year-old vines planted on the granitic slopes of the Paardeberg. John now blends in about 25% more expressive fruit from the iron rich Malmesbury. Stone fruit and melon show on the nose, leading to a rich, creamy-waxy textured palate, finishing with impressive length. A delightful Chenin Blanc. pH 3.32, 13.1% alc.
Thorne & Daughters 2023 Paper Kite Swartland 96 Paper Kite is a mix of 90% Semillon Blanc and 10% Semillon Gris sourced from a tiny, 60-year-old Swartland vineyard on alluvial granite soil, harvested fully ripe. Revealing a melange of fresh fruit and savory scents, it offers a dense, full and perfectly balanced palate with an especially appealing bright finish. Drinking beautifully now, but John says it needs a few years in bottle to show its best. The Semillon Blanc and Gris are whole bunch pressed in an old basket press and fermented and aged with full malo in a mix of new 500L Stockinger and small used oak barriques. pH 3.35, 13.1% alc.
Thorne & Daughters 2023 Snakes & Ladders Olifantsrivier 94 Impressive and unique, this Sauvignon Blanc from older bush vines grown at high altitude in the Skurfberg is a contrast to the stereotypical New Zealand style. The nose is rich and tropical with passion fruit and herbal notes. The palate is unctuous and creamy, showing rich tropical fruit and spices enhanced by firm acidity. Texturally reminiscent of a Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. From a 25+ year old West Coast vineyard on decomposed sandstone over clay and alluvial deposits. John says the fruit has to be harvested ripe for acceptable acidity. Whole bunch pressed in an old Vaslin basket press; fermented with native yeast in old oak barrels where they are aged on the gross lees for 9+ months. pH 3.29, 14.6% alc.
Credit: DRWinkler
Thorne & Daughters 2023 Tin Soldier Semillon Gris Swartland 94 This skin-fermented Semillon Gris has a coppery hue reminiscent of some Georgian qvevri wines. The wine reveals dried citrus and stone fruit with great depth of flavor and a very long, rich, phenolic finish. From 10-year-old vines grown on granite sands in the Swartland. Mostly fermented on the skins for about 10 days with a portion whole bunch pressed with no skin contact. pH 3.19, 13.4% alc.
Thorne & Daughters 2022 Wanderer’s Heart Cape Red Western Cape 92 Medium ruby red. This Syrah and Grenache led blend is a fresh bistro style red. It offers an appealing bouquet of red berries, plums and spice with herbal notes coming in on the palate. Finishes with good grip. A blend of 45% Syrah, 33% Grenache, 13% Carignan, and 9% Mourvèdre from Western Cape vineyards. Fermented 60% whole bunch with 30-40 days on the skins; pressed in an old basket press and aged 9 months in old oak barrels. pH 3.45, 13.4% alc.
Source : https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2025/01/20/thorne-daughters-impressive-wines-from-a-rising-star/
