2023 Rocking Horse Cape White Blend, Thorne & Daughters

• Style: Layered Cape white blend, restrained and mineral
• Taste: Peach, apple, jasmine with saline grip and honeyed texture
• Food: Grilled fish, creamy chicken, herb-dressed salads, shellfish
• Occasion: Weeknight, Sunday lunch, summer drinking, aperitivo
• Serve: Chilled; 13.5% ABV; vegan-friendly

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

The 2023 Rocking Horse opens with peach and jasmine on the nose, then tightens on the palate where honeyed texture and yuzu fruit sit against a persistent saline thread. Acidity keeps everything bright; the wine hangs between richness and grip, both generous and architectural.

The Winery — Thorne & Daughters

Founded in 2013 by John and Tasha Seccombe, Thorne & Daughters stands as a forerunner of South Africa's New Wave wine movement. The producer sources from growers across multiple sites—Stellenbosch, Paardeberg, Franschhoek and beyond—pulling Roussanne and Chardonnay from younger trellised vines alongside older, low-yielding bush-vine Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Clairette. That mix of age and site drives textural depth. The winemaking is deliberate: whole-bunch pressing with minimal intervention, natural fermentation in old oak, and spontaneous malolactic fermentation allowed to run its course before a whisper of sulfur is added. The result is a wine that feels alive without any sign of the winemaker's heavy hand. At 13.5% ABV with a crisp mineral backbone, it exemplifies how old-vine maturity and careful site selection matter even in a blend.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This wine opens doors at dinner: grilled fish with herb butter, poached chicken, creamy salads, and shellfish all find an easy partner here. It's vegan-friendly too. The 2023 vintage arrived in a year of small berries and concentrated flavour—December rains supported the growing season without complicating the harvest. If you're exploring the Western Cape's modern white-wine movement, this is precisely the kind of producer worth seeking out. Browse our Grenache Blanc & Roussanne selection to discover more from this corner of South Africa's wine story, or dive into our full South Africa collection.