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 |
