Silverthorn Wines
Silverthorn’s ethos is inspired by nature and their relationship with the natural world.
It informs how they work with their terroir, vineyards and wines and shapes the stories and brand names they give to their products.
Incredible Terroir
The soils on the Silverthorn farm consists mainly of shale and limestone and are officially part of the Bokkeveld shale group, dating back over 400 million years to an era predating dinosaurs when the land was an ancient seabed. The high limestone content of this ancient seabed is particularly beneficial for vineyards, resulting in naturally low pH and high acidity, essential qualities for producing top-quality Cap Classique.
Vines that express Terroir
Silverthorn’s vineyards are all old and gnarly with planting dates ranging between 1984 and 1999. Having spent considerable time co-existing with the land, the vines have merged their characteristics with the world around them. These old vines give the ultimate expression of the terroir which John captures in every bubble of his creations.
Take off with the River Dragon
Vibrant bubbles, zesty citrus, pure elegance. Made from 100% Colombard, the love child of Chenin Blanc.
A sparkling wine like no other.
Grape Varieties:
100% Colombar
Wine Inspiration:
“If the sky could dream, would it dream of dragons?”
Dragons exist in the realm of magic, but their origins are grounded by our collective fascination and curiosity in nature. Perhaps inspired by dinosaurs, there is a rich and ancient history of dragons throughout the world. Draco Africanus, the majestic African Dragon, is alleged to have spent its time whimsically flying and “skywriting” with smoke. Benevolent, wise and powerful, the ‘River Dragon’ of Silverthorn appears eternally silhouetted against the River Without End Mountains.
Wine Making Method and Maturation:
River Dragon was hand harvested towards the end of February in the early hours of the morning at 19 degrees balling. The grapes from a 39 year old vineyard,
were whole bunch pressed with a very low recovery rate of only 500 litres per ton – this ensures that no bitter tannins are extracted. 40% of the base wine was
fermented in old Acacia 500 litre barrels to enhance complexity. Secondary fermentation occurred in the bottle and the wine spent 12 months on the lees after which it was manually riddled and disgorged.
Wine Tasting Notes:
On colour
Silverthorn River Dragon NV shows a pale lemon to light green hue, with a fine, persistent line of bubbles that gives a delicate, refreshing appearance in the glass.
On the nose
The nose is gently expressive, with chamomile blossom and thatch notes layered over subtle stone fruit, pear and green apple, occasionally developing a light earthy or wild-herb nuance.
On the palate
On the palate the wine is dry, light-bodied and brisk, driven by racy acidity and a fine mousse, showing flavours of crisp pear, apple and soft stone fruit, with a faintly salty or savoury edge on the long, clean finish.
On the whole
A taut, delicately floral Cap Classique, balancing bright orchard fruit with a fine mousse and a refreshing, gently savoury finish.
| Alcohol | 12% |
|---|---|
| Residual sugar | 6.5g/L |
| Acidity | 6.1g/L |
| Ph Level | 3.2 |
| Region | Robertson |
| Producer | Silverthorn |
The Full Silverthorn Collection
Meet the Winemaker
“We’re inquisitive, we’re daring, we’re experimental, and I think that’s what I like. I like pushing the boundaries; I like bringing art into it as long as the final product is pure and beautiful.”
Before John started his journey into winemaking, he spent his time studying architecture, perhaps in the knowledge that his personality needed the free expression of creativity combined with the rigidity of precision. Underwhelmed by architecture, John left to spend two years diving for diamonds on the Namibian coastline and a year traveling through Europe. When John crossed paths with Karen’s application forms for Oenology and Viticulture one might say that it was cosmic intervention. Completing his time at Elsenberg as Dux student, John went on to work at Moreson, De Wetshof and Graham Beck before the big move to Steenberg in 2001.
For 17 years, John worked at Steenberg climbing the corporate ladder to eventually manage Steenberg Vineyards, Hotel and Restaurants, but the playful, adventurous spirit that lived within John and wanted expression had to wait until 2018 when John finally took the leap to work on Silverthorn full-time, leaving the certainty of the corporate world and entering the unchartered territory of following the dream.
With the combined passion, vision and energy of both John and Karen, Silverthorn has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years since.
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