Thorne & Daughters, Rocking Horse Cape White, Western Cape

Moderate gold. Soggy metallic nose but touch of oak and some herbs. Slightly waxy quality (Roussanne is largest component?) and a little wet wool. Very decent if not wowing the crowd today.

2019 vintage

This is lovely - slightly oxy, slightly skin contact, fun but not trivial. I know people who consider this faulty, and I can understand why but I do not. Pleased to have 1/3 of a bottle but also now moving onto whisky …

2014 vintage

Good mineral reality and fruit balance

2019 vintage

explosive nose of stone fruits. IN the mouth, crisp acidity, lemon, peach, and riesling-like green apple (but sans riesling). Terrific juice. Nothing not to like here!

2019 vintage

I expected this to be long gone, so was very positively surprised. It has passed its peak, but is still enjoyable and will be for another few years. Light golden in color. Aromas of apricot, wax, some pear, vanilla, and loads of exotic spices. Still decent acidity and somewhat firm with mature fruit in a medium long finish. This would go great with a mild korma.

2013 vintage

it is dry, austere, well structured. Great color very subtle and blunted nose, lot of stone, limestone, chalk, flint and citrus. Had it on its own, but I assume pairs well with oysters, poached fish.

2019 vintage

Decent if quiet nose. Some chalk, citrus. Palate is a a bit of a let-down: Not much going on, no real energy, rather clipped. Perhaps closed down? Such a contrast to the ebullient 2017 a couple of years ago.

2019 vintage

A strange melange. Needs 45 minutes or so to open up. No distinct flavor notes that I could discern. Ok, but nothing special. I’ve had prior vintages of this that I much preferred.

2019 vintage

Showed bitter and floral notes and had a moderate acidity to help keep it working.

2019 vintage

Bromley Wine Circle goes Ooop North (London) - South Africa (Ariana 2, Kilburn, London) : This is lovely. Nose has fresh quince with a touch of tutti frutti creaminess. Palate has superb balance, charming freshness and real breadth. There is a touch of strawberry bonbon and later on the nose just a suggestion of toffee apple. Very good indeed.

2013 vintage

SA Wimps 2023; 5/27/2023-5/28/2023 (La Trompette) : The sommelier “accidentally” opened this backup bottle, and we were grateful he did. Unlike the other wines in this flight this was rhone blend. A deeper colour, a more generous nose - a slightly musty, ecclesiastical character to it but classy and precise. What I could only describe as a kind of urinal cake finish, but in a very good way. Among very stiff competition this was my wine of the flight - …

2014 vintage

South Africa WIMPS #165 26th May 2023 (La Trompette, Chiswick) : A reserve wine serendipitously opened in error. My wine of the lunch. First draft has a charming honeyed envelope around a melange of fruits. There's also something balancing and savoury that is a little in the empty pickle jar register. Some crisped chicken skin with a little thyme? Palate is also superb, with just the right amount of acidity. With time I pick up some gooseberry fool creaminess / …

2014 vintage

No detailed note made.

2014 vintage

The most round and full of the three vintages we tasted (13-15). Waxy, lemony, with a long finish.

2013 vintage

Fully mature and beautiful, drink up this year and next.

2013 vintage

A little tired and not a great drink. I’d drink.

2019 vintage

Pnp pairing with apps of cheese and veggies after a nice Napa Chardonnay. Very new world profile of stone fruits, apples and some acidity. Not the group fav. tonight. one more to go in the cellar.

2019 vintage

Second bottle within one week. This bottle had a distracting funky, skunky nose (more than first bottle). It somewhat blew off, but never disappeared. On the creamy palate, citrus and medium-ripe stone fruits with some spice and almonds. Nice acid balance gives refreshing finish. Agree with other TNs that there is some clear bottle variation - caveat emptor. 89-90

2019 vintage

Elderflower, lemon oil, ginger. Viscous mouth feel.

2019 vintage

Scoring only because it's diff than past bottles. Kind of flat, less enjoyable than past bottles. Based on this one, I'd say if you have them drink them up.

2019 vintage

previous notes were a little underwhelming Really settled down and softened up now with more traditional butter notes, not so much caramel as previous vintages. Much better showing and fuelling the belief they need 5-8 years for the perfect window, in my view.

2016 vintage

This was a pleasant surprise! Lemon, oak and barnyard on the nose with coriander and butter on the pallet that went well with pork and stir fried vegetables. Wish we had a few more bottles.

2016 vintage

First bottle of a very recent 6 pack purchase.....maybe still suffering a bit from shock/travel? There was a deep gold color, a really nice nose full of tropical fruits, melon, peach, etc. Very complex. Nice moderate mouth feel. The palate however, seemed rather 'simple' due to low acidity. Over 1-2 hours the wine filled out some but not a lot. The flavor profile/palate remained rather simple though I got the impression the Semillon component easily took over for the other …

2019 vintage

Fabulous wine which reeks of high-quality fruit and top-drawer wine-making. The peach/apple/pear fruit is open, expressive and pure with a hint of spice running through the midpalate. Texturally, she's so round and creamy that she can be glugged or savoured according to one's own penchant for caprice. Judicious use of oak is further evidence that this is an absolute class act.

2019 vintage

Clean fresh vibrant. Really complex flavours. So moreish.

2019 vintage

I’ve had a couple of bottles of this vintage and haven’t been impressed but this bottle was better and it seems to be coming together now. I loved the 2013 version and think the make up varieties has changed. This is quite rich and I Must admit made me think of a Bongran Vire Cleese though the Chardonnay is about 1/4 or 1/3rd at most. Touch of fennel on the finish ? It may have been this that stood out …

2016 vintage

Complex. Polish, wax, baked or ripe pear, apricot, wood. Long finish. Paired with herb roasted chicken

2013 vintage

Drank at home. The wine is a blend of 36% Roussanne, 25% Semillon, 22% Chenin Blanc, 11% Chardonnay and 6% Clairette Blanche. The grapes were harvested from different vineyards, they were whole bunch pressed, fermented with natural yeast and matued in old oak barrels. The wine shows a nice bright yellow color. In the nose the wine reminds me of Hemelrand by Alheit Vineyards with its nice rich earthy ripe fruit core. The oak element is fine and elegant, ripe …

2019 vintage

Medium lemon. Tropical fruits, biscuit/pastry nose. Well balanced, peach/apricots palate. Good wine, drinking well.

2016 vintage

Just didn’t taste of much. Disappointing.

2016 vintage

Mycket honungsmelon, bensin, citronskal och mynta. Den druva jag tydligast kan identifiera är semillon. Om jag tyckte att 2015 års årgång kändes mer Chardonnay-dominerad, så är denna årgång mycket tydligare Semillon-dominerad. Associationerna går direkt till bordeaux. Egentligen är jag inte så förtjust i semillion-dominerade viner i den stilen, men detta vin gillar jag. Inte minst för de diskreta inslagen av citrusfrukt som gör sig påminda i avslutningen.

2016 vintage

Rik sødmefull lukt av pors, chardonay-krydder , sitron. Fyldig munnfølelse, god frukt, gulplomme, hint av honning. Middels til svak syre . Litt alkoholstikk Flott vin men i tyngste laget for meg

2016 vintage

Smakt på Stavanger Vinforum vinmesse 2019 280 NOK Rik, fatpreget med god frukt. Kjøp og test hjemme

2016 vintage

This wine which you can buy for a bit over £20 in the UK is an exciting wine. It is already drinking well and has fabulous complex fruit and nuances from the myriad grape varieties which compliment rather than fight each other. Lots of tropical juicy fruit held together with a nice line of acidity, augmented by a streak of salinity, with an accommodating though by no means flabby 13% ABV. A really good sign is that I didn’t get …

2016 vintage

Beautiful blend - rich in flavour with hints of tropical fruit all kept in beautiful balance by the acidity. Really nice bottle of wine.

2014 vintage

Taut, stony, lots of intrigue

2014 vintage

Much nicer than the Sijnn, but not as focused as I remembered past bottles.

2014 vintage

V harsh too much oak . Marzipan

2014 vintage

39% (young) Roussanne, 23% Chardonnay, 23% Semillon,15% Chenin (old bush vines). This is now ready - rich, yet not blowsy. A very enjoyable and distinctive blend with each of the constituents cleary playing a part.

2013 vintage

Peach, butter, oak

2014 vintage

Weekly tasting group RWP #242: A randomly chosen blind tasted set. (@ JdB) : Beautiful bouquet with white and yellow fruits, oak and butter candy. On the palate a firm dose of oak, sweetness and concentrated yellow fruits, marzipan and grapefruit. A mouth filling wine with an enormous length.

2013 vintage

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2014 vintage

At 67PM: I didn't remember this being quite so lush and vanilla oaky - lovely tonight

2013 vintage

Lovely nose. Complex, floral and with lots of fruit and minerality. Taste is good with sweet, powerful fruit. A very good wine. 50+5+12+15+8 (90p)

2014 vintage

At 67PM: big, smooth, waxy, sweet middle, and lively despite its size - very attractive

2013 vintage

Beautiful blend - full of flavour with a lovely acidic backbone. I personally believe this is a little young and will get even better over the next couple of years. Great value.

2014 vintage

Short flight of 2013 vintage from Thorne & Daughters and Alheit (Somerset West) : White blend with Chardonnay, Roussanne, Semillon and some Semillon Gris. Mid yellow in colour, the lifted aromas show white flowers, nectarine, bayleaf, curry leaf, mango and some oak nuances. A tangy acid on entry with a hint of reduction, the wine starts with a resinous, chalky note. As it opens it reveals orange skin, nougat, lemon, more prominent wood along with plenty of white fruit. A …

2013 vintage

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Thorne & Daughters, Rocking Horse Cape White, Western Cape

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