Thorne & Daughters was started in 2013 by John and Tasha Seccombe with the aim of producing authentic wines from the Western Cape. It is widely acknowledged to be one of the forerunners of the ‘New Wave’ wine movement in South Africa. Thorne & Daughters is mainly focused on producing Cape white blends, from 15 different growers in Bot River, Stellenbosch, Voor Paardeberg, Swartland, Citrusdal, Franschhoek and Overberg. Fruit sourcing has relied on a network of close winemaking friends and knocking on doors to gather the various parcels with which they work. John and Tasha did not want to be limited geographically, so the net was cast wide and has been driven by “a happy synergy of people, place, soil and vines”.
The grapes for the Rocking Horse were sourced from a number of very carefully selected growers around the Western Cape. The Roussanne and the Chardonnay come from younger vines, with an average age of 13 years planted in Stellenbosch and Paardeberg on a combination of clay and decomposed granite. Semillon Blanc from Franschhoek, Clairette Blanche from Stellenbosch and Chenin Blanc from Paardeberg add depth and textural complexity to this blended Cape white as they are sourced from old vines estimated to be approximately 40 years old.
The 2023 vintage is a wine of layers and tension. A complex nose with aromas of peach, apple skin, flint and jasmine. The palate is tight and rounded with a honeyed texture and tropical notes of yuzu fruit, balanced with a crisp line of acidity and a long, almost saline finish.
